Mew's Guardian
by Whozawhatcha
Summary: Mew can transform into any pokemon, but has also perfected the transformation into human form. Curious about the ways humans work, she recruits a troubled Lucario to protect her and escort her as she interacts with the humans. She gets more than she bargained for in this irritable, auraless Lucario, but hey, when Team Rocket attacks, what can you do?
1. Chapter 1

"Mew, that's completely insane! I can't believe you'd want to do something like that!"

Mew flinched backwards from her relative's wrath—she still wasn't quite sure if Mewtwo was her son or her brother or what. "But—I want to do it! I'm curious!"

"You're always curious!" he snarled, blazing purple eyes flashing. "This is dangerous though! I won't let you do it!"

Angry that he was trying to control her freedom yet again, Mew shouted back, "And what are you going to do? Are you going to stop me? I can protect myself!"

She felt tiny next to him because he was so much bigger, so much taller. She envied him over that—she was small and cute and couldn't look intimidating the way he could. A blue glow started to flare in his eyes, and she felt his psychic powers surge—he attacked when he was angry. "No, you can't! You're too trusting, and that trust is going to get you killed one day! The humans are not to be trifled with! They are monsters, and you will not fraternize with them!"

Then, she knew exactly why he didn't want her doing this. "Back to humans again?" she asked a bit scathingly. "Just because you had your traumatic past with them, doesn't mean that they are all bad! Face it, Mewtwo, you're biased opinion isn't going to stop me from understanding them further! They are not bad!"

A blast of psychic energy sent her flying backwards, crashing into a tree. The sheer force of it made her little body gasp for breath as she looked up at her fuming offspring. "You don't tell me about those horrible creatures!" he roared, two Shadow Balls crackling with energy at his fingertips. "You don't know them like I do!"

"And I never will!" she cried, dodging the first Shadow Ball he threw at her. It crashed into the same tree, ripping apart the trunk and sending it crashing to the ground. "I know there are good humans out there! And nothing you do is going to stop me from trying to understand them!"

The other Shadow Ball struck her hard in her chest, and she grunted as she crashed into the base of a tree, the underbrush around it pricking her body. Jumping out of it, she looked for Mewtwo, but he wasn't there—she felt the remnants of psychic power in the area, and had to silently assume that Mewtwo had teleported away in fury.

She sat down on the fallen tree, sighing. The cause of Mewtwo's destruction—a tree dead, several pokemons' homes destroyed by killing the tree, and her own pain. She knew Mewtwo didn't mean it—he was always hot tempered, and she just had to go with it. Mew licked the back of her paw, hugging her own long tail tight to her chest. Now he probably felt bad for hurting things again—his power was always a touchy subject with him. She almost thought he was afraid of it.

After some time, since the sun was going down, Mew curled up, wrapping her tail around herself as she stared up at the sky. She was sorry for making him angry—she didn't want him to be angry. But she really wanted to go off with the humans for a bit. She curled up in a tighter ball, but the night wasn't cold—just silent, empty.

She couldn't hear him, but she felt his psychic powers immediately—a Heal Pulse passed through the area, pink and purple sparkles that lit up the night for just an instant as Mew's injuries from Mewtwo were healed. His intelligent, deep voice echoed out.

"If you must go . . . Then don't go alone." For a split second, heart beating agonizingly sweet, Mew thought he was going to go with her and finally understand that humans were not all bad—but he crushed her hopes with his next statement. "I will not go with you. But . . . find someone to go with you, to protect you. That is all I ask."

And then, he was gone.

* * *

><p>Mew sighed to herself at the grave, her pink hair fluttering in the slight breeze.<p>

"I'll miss you, Bisharp," she said to the pokemon beneath the surface. So, she had gotten at least four months of being human before the old Bisharp's time was up. She should have known better and got a younger pokemon to escort her, but she had liked Bisharp a lot. Besides, he had been willing, and she had been eager to go on her way.

"Now what will you do?"

She jumped, turning around to see Mewtwo. "Mewtwo!" she burst happily, floating up in front of his face.

His eyes were drawn, calculated. "Have you had enough fun gallivanting around?"

She shook her head. "No way! There's still so much to see! So much to learn! I had some people teach me how to dance, mostly—dancing is so fun! How come pokemon don't dance like humans?"

She felt the irritation broiling under the surface of his complexion. "It is because we are pokemon," he stated. "We are not meant to dance."

Mew sighed, resting on top of his head. He seemed annoyed, but didn't move her. "Well, I really like it. It's fun, even if we aren't really meant to." After a moment, she leaned over so she looked him in the eyes. She giggled at him. "You're upside down."

"My feet are on the ground," he stated. "You are upside down."

She giggled again, but then sobered a little, flipping right side up to look down at Bisharp's grave. "Well . . . I still want to head out with the humans again. But this time I'll find someone younger that's just as capable."

He put his hands on his hips, sighing. "Fine. Have it your way." And he teleported away again.

* * *

><p>After two weeks of searching, Mew still hadn't found a pokemon to protect her that she felt fit her criteria. Late that night, she finally decided that she was going to go to sleep despite how awake she was. Cuddling up on summer ground, Mew closed her eyes in an effort to go to sleep—and felt a familiar presence.<p>

She popped up immediately. "Mewtwo!" she burst in a whisper. Gliding around carelessly, she found him at a small pond, sitting on a jutting rock over the surface of water that reflected the moonlight.

Mew plopped down in his lap, cuddling close. "Hi, Mewtwo," she said.

She felt that strange combination of irritation in him again. "What do you want?" he asked a bit tiredly.

"Nothing," she said, and she wrapped her tail around his waist as she started to go to sleep in his lap.

She felt one of the round digits of his fingers touch the top of her head. "Would you get off of me?"

Mew flipped over, grabbing his finger before he could take it back, giving him a curious look. "Why? Oh! What are you doing here anyway?"

"Protecting you, of course." He pulled gently to get her to let go, but she held on. Hm, funny—she was sure that if he really didn't want her holding on to his finger he'd force her to let go . . .

But she dismissed it as she giggled, "But there's nothing here to hurt me! Besides, I'm strong, I can protect myself."

"So you say," he commented airily, and he looked up at the moon.

Mew snuggled up to his strong stomach, feeling how warm he was. "I do say." She yawned wide, the warmth making her drowsy. "Besides, no one's going to hurt me. I can protect myself. And with you . . . No one will even think . . . to take a—a step to me . . ."

She dozed off almost immediately, and Mewtwo rubbed between her ears gently. "And that is exactly the point," he told her softly even though she was asleep. He couldn't help himself—she was just too darned cute, and she could make even his hard heart melt. He would always protect her.

Lucifer knelt at the man's grave, his own pokeball his paw. Now what? Without his master, he had nothing. He felt the strangeness of tears in his eyes. Why was he crying? The man hadn't been good to him. In truth, this was the day Lucifer had always dreamed about—the day his trainer died so he would finally have freedom from his ways.

But . . . now what? He had his freedom. He had what he wanted. But what was he supposed to do with it? He had power, he had instincts, he could fight and protect himself. That was all his master had ever taught him—fighting techniques, new moves as he sought to raise the strongest Lucario ever.

Lucifer clenched the pokeball tight, then slammed it to the ground. The fragile thing broke, and it sparked red light a moment. Then, he felt the pokeball's hold on him release, and he was once again a wild pokemon.

The Lucario stood, leaving the broken balls remains on the ground. He went inside the old hut, ate, and then left behind that place for good.

But where to go? Lucifer walked over Sinnoh's Route 210, the fog making the way treacherous—with so many stoops and ditches, sudden drops off cliffs, if you didn't know your way you would soon find yourself at the bottom of a valley. But Lucifer knew these twists and turns—he had been raised here his whole life. When he heard the crash of a waterfall nearby, it alerted him to exactly where he was.

He heard the pokemon's faint buzz become louder and louder—here it came! He ducked past the Beedrill's Pursuit. Lucifer growled at the intrusion—it had no reason to attack! A glowing blue bone appeared in his paws, and Lucifer charged with a Bone Rush, but the Beedrill was fast—it turned back with a Twineedle, and Lucifer was forced to block each attack with his Bone Rush to protect himself. The Beedrill attacked again with Poison Jab, making Lucifer fall back, and, waiting for an opening, prepared a Force Palm. When the appropriate time came, he lunged forth, the attack hitting the Beedrill square in the chest, the light green light blasting it away. He lunged out of the way of a Twineedle again, charging with a Close Combat at hand. Striking the Beedrill again, it fluttered out of reach and hid in the fog.

Lucifer closed his eyes, covering them with the black appendages on his head. Struggling to reach out for the aura, Lucifer felt it—weak, far away. He couldn't see through the fog well—he should be able to.

It was his greatest failing as a Lucario, what he had been beaten for as a Riolu and as a Lucario—he couldn't reach out to the aura. Lucifer abandoned the aura again, instead opening his eyes quickly to search for the Beedrill. He could hear it buzzing above him somewhere, and not using the aura was his failing again because a Twineedle crashed down from above him, making him yell in pain. Forcing himself to fight through the pain, Lucifer threw a Bone Rush up at the Beedrill. The attack stopped almost immediately, and the glowing blue bone boomeranged back to him. Lucifer caught it, wielding it threateningly as he waited for the giant bug to attack again.

Instead, he heard a feminine voice echo out, "Wow! You're pretty strong! I think I like you!" Lucifer started when the Beedrill dropped out of the sky, shape shifting instantly into a small Riolu. The little Riolu assessed his aggressive position thoughtfully. "Your stance is nice, you've certainly been trained well, and—you're good! Still not dropping your guard to someone that you're still not sure of as your enemy or not!" The little Riolu waved her hand. "You don't have to be like that with me, I'm not going to hurt you; I just attacked to gauge your strength. You seem pretty strong, but you're oddly not very attuned to your aura . . ." She sighed, sitting on a hip when he still refused to drop his attack stance. "Would you please stop that? I'm not going to hurt you."

Lucifer did another double take at his companion before finally relaxing, letting his Bone Rush disappear. "Who are you?" he asked roughly, distrusting—what kind of pokemon could shape-shift like that? He had figured that Beedrill weren't native to here, but what pokemon could do such a thing? Ditto? Zorua? But they had to see the pokemon that they were going to shift to. What could do it at will? "What do you want?"

The little Riolu giggle, hands coming to cover her smile. "Who am I?" she repeated. "You're so silly!" The pokemon shape shifted again, making Lucifer jolt, and he felt drained at the tiny pink cat that floated in front of him. "Why, I'm Mew! What's your name?"

Stunned, he could only manage, "Lucifer."

"Hi, Lucifer!" The legendary pokemon flipped closer to shake his hand enthusiastically, and he wrest his hand free of her grasp. "And I want to take you with me."

He narrowed his eyes, taking a step back from her. "Take me where?"

Mew just flipped about, gliding backwards on her back—he had to step to keep up with her. "Why, wherever we want to go! See? This was meant to be—you're already following me!"

Lucifer halted immediately at her words. "That doesn't answer the question."

He lost her for a second in the heavy fog, but then she suddenly flipped in front of him until they were almost nose-to-nose. "And why doesn't it? There's no need to have a destination if you keep moving."

Lucifer crossed his arms, still not trusting her. "What do you want with me anyway?"

She blinked at him. "What? I thought that was obvious! You're to keep me safe, of course—kinda like my little guardian to follow me around."

He stared at her in the morning that was quickly becoming afternoon. "You? Safe? You need no one to keep you safe."

He watched her make a face, muttering, "Yeah, well, tell that to Mewtwo . . ."

"To who?" he repeated, not sure he had heard her right.

"Oh, no one," she said quickly. Too quickly. Lucifer felt his suspicions fed all over again. "But yes, you're to keep me safe. Hop to it!" and she disappeared into the fog again.

Lucifer stayed standing where he was. After four seconds, Mew glided back into sight again. "And what are you waiting for?" she asked.

"I'm not going with you," he stated.

Her blue eyes blinked at him a moment. Then, she started laughing, covering her mouth with her hands again. "Oh, you're too cute!" she laughed, wrapping her tail around his wrist. "Let's go." She started to float off with him, but found a resisting arm that she tried to pull along. Lucifer watched her as she blinked back at him. Her tail released his hand. "You mean . . . You really don't want to come with me?"

"Why should I?" he growled. "I have nothing to gain from going with you. I might as well just walk aimlessly by myself."

He felt Mew's eyes assessing him for a moment longer, and she finally said, "Okay, you want something in return? I'll make you the best Lucario that ever walked this planet." Lucifer felt his ear twitch—he couldn't help it. He was curious. The best? "I am the mother of all pokemon after all. I'll teach you everything I know to make you the best Lucario there is. Not to mention I can teach you to use your aura properly."

There it was—what appealed to him most. The aura. His trainer had never taught him how to use it, and it was likely that he didn't even know how to use it. Lucifer swallowed—let his trainer just wait. He would finally learn to use his aura properly, and he wouldn't ever live under his oppression again—whether physically, or mentally, still locked in his mind.

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Good!" Her response was too bright for Lucifer's taste, but he let it go—she was going to teach him what no other pokemon would ever learn. But, he was surprised when she shape shifted into a Pichu, running up to make her place on his shoulder. She raised a tiny paw. "Onward march!"

Lucifer didn't move. "We're not going anywhere until you get off of my shoulder."

She looked at him, then said, "Nuh-uh. You're traveling with me—I make the rules. Now let's go."

She was firm, but . . . He wasn't comfortable with her there, and he had a feeling she was more bark than bite. "Get off," he ordered.

Mew sullenly got down off of his shoulder, and started to move. She sulked, but Lucifer preferred it better than her yapping in his ear the whole journey.

However, his peace was short-lived—she shifted into an Aipom next, saying, "Okay, so you know Bone Rush, Force Palm, and Close Combat. What else?"

Lucifer cracked his knuckles. "Mega Punch."

When she seemed to be waiting for more, he quirked an eyebrow. "You mean, that's all you know?"

"Yes, that's all I know," he growled. "That's four moves."

Mew stopped, shrugging her little Aipom shoulder. "So?"

She was so . . . matter of fact. It made him slow a moment, narrowing his eyes at her. "So, what?"

"So," she said, as if he were acting silly, "you can learn more than four. What's with everyone thinking pokemon can learn only four moves?" She turned, running off deeper into the fog with her curiosity. "I know almost every move! You see," and Lucifer had to start jogging because her voice was fading away, "four is the average number of moves a pokemon knows. But you can learn up to as many moves as you want really. If you're compatible with those moves. Like, I don't know if you could learn Psychic." Lucifer stumbled in a ditch, struggling to keep up—she was moving fast, faster than he was, and faster than his comfortable speed was. He didn't run this fast through these parts—the terrain was treacherous, and he didn't fancy having a broken leg.

"Mew!" he snapped as he ran with her through the blinding fog, "Slow down!"

"No way!" Again he felt himself gritting his teeth in irritation at her. "Run faster! If you can't keep up with me, how can you suppose to keep up with an enemy if someone kidnaps me?"

"I can keep up with you fine!" he growled, ducking low over a fallen log and jumping to avoid another, "But this is crazy—you can't see where you're going!"

"Nonsense!" she shouted back to him. He heard another waterfall approaching soon. "I can see just fine! Can't you?" He prepared another sadistic remark to her, but she spoke again. "Use your Aura! Lesson One: teaching you to feel your aura! You should have no problem keeping up with me in these parts—this is child's play."

Lucifer ground his jaw tight, but followed instructions with heart pounding hard in his chest. Closing his eyes, and blindfolding himself with the black appendages from his head, he tried to feel the aura. It was almost like having his eyes open—he could hardly see a foot in front of him, the fog dampening his sight even with his aura.

"Don't fight it!" Mew cried, and he wondered where she was. "Pull it in! Or reach out, and let it come to you!" Lucifer immediately reached out and sought it out, but it slipped through his fingers like it were greased. It felt silky to his touch, like it would shift out of reach the moment he tried to commune with it, and he tried again. He met with the same results, stumbling again. Lucifer's eyes snapped open immediately as he caught himself, but Mew's voice echoed out again.

"Close your eyes, cheater!" she accused him, and he jumped—how did she know he had opened his eyes? They couldn't even see each other in this thick fog! "Use the aura!" Lucifer clenched his jaw, but tried to follow her instructions again. He wondered how to pull it in—he tried, but nothing happened. Sweat started to trickle down his cheek, and he felt frustration boil in his chest. This was supposed to be easy! To feel one's own aura was easy, and he should be able to feel his own—the littlest of Riolu knew at birth what their own aura felt like! Lucifer grasped again and again, but the energies kept slipping away.

"Don't get frustrated!" he heard Mew coach from somewhere up ahead. "Be gentle! The aura senses your emotion—it will only get harder if you stay so frustrated."

Lucifer swallowed hard, bottled up the emotions as best he could, and strove to reach out again. The silk curtain of aura slinked beneath his touch again, and it instantly rekindled the frustration. But, so focused on trying to make contact with his aura, the aura, ANYONE'S aura, he didn't watch where he was going.

Lucifer gave a shout when his ankle twisted beneath him, giving way as he fell off a cliff. Adrenaline pumped through his system—instead of panicking, he responded levelheaded, opening his eyes and abandoning the aura again as he plummeted down. He felt his feet skid on the surface of the sheer rock surface before he turned his ungraceful decent into a dive. He dove under the surface of the river below, turning his body so sharply to avoid hitting the rocky bottom that his ribs screamed in protest. Lucifer resurfaced with a gasp, swimming downstream—back the way they had come—until he could pull himself onto shore.

A Starly flew into sight before shifting back into Mew's natural form. The disgruntled and furious Lucario coughed a moment before growling at her, "What is wrong with you? I can't do something like that!" He gasped in deep breaths from the hectic run, gesturing angrily towards the river. "I fell off a cliff! I could have drowned!"

Mew floated to the ground. She shook her head. "But you didn't."

"No thanks to you!" Lucifer snarled, standing. "I'm out of here."

He stalked off, leaving the tiny, psychic legendary behind. Fuming at his failure, hating himself more, and sopping wet, Lucifer went his own way.

Until a small, pink cat floated next to him. "So that's it?"

He didn't respond.

"You're giving up already?"

He halted in his tracks.

"You don't strike me as one that gives up easily, Lucifer."

Lucifer felt his teeth grind in his jaws. He expelled a deep and fuming breath from his nose.

Mew continued speaking, looking back to the waterfall they had left behind. "I didn't catch you because I knew you were fine. I knew you could take care of yourself—if you had been injured in any sort of way, I would have caught you and prevented that fall. But now you know why you should never turn your back on the aura like that—you fall, and next time there might not be someone there to save you, or a way to save yourself."

He shot her a black glare. "I never had the aura TO turn my back on it."

Her little ear twitched, and she seemed to take this in. "All right. I concede that point to you. I'll take it slower for your sake—we won't do another exercise like that in the future for some time." She glanced over at him with blue eyes. "Will you still come with me?"

Lucifer scowled at his own weakness, crossing his arms. "Yes," he muttered shortly. "I'll come."

She perked up immediately. "Good! Then turn around—we're going the wrong way."

Lucifer turned and walked in stolid silence next to her, unwilling to speak for the remainder of the day. As they trekked on through the fog, he finally heard her say softly, "Would you like to know why you couldn't touch the aura?"

There it was—with one sly comment she had turned the tables on the conversation—or lack of, thereof—and Lucifer found himself an avid listener.

"Why?"

Mew stopped floating next to him, turning to face him and look him in the eyes to gauge his reaction. "You couldn't touch the aura because you said so."

Surprised and confused, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"You said it yourself." And she quoted him, enunciating the words carefully, " 'I can't do something like that'." He stared at her, blinking almost owlishly. "That is what you said. And because you said that, because you didn't believe in it, you couldn't." She started to float on again, and Lucifer fell in step.

"You can't really believe that . . . ?" he started slowly. But she didn't even have to look at him for him to realize she was very serious.

"Lesson number two:" she said softly. "Never doubt yourself. You are capable of more than you realize."

Lucifer processed her words in silence. He looked down on his palms. Was he really? He couldn't believe it. He wasn't like that—he had never been able to make contact with his aura, and it was seeming that he couldn't even do it under the guidance of the entity of the aura itself, Mew. He didn't dare believe in childish fairy tales of strength hidden within while he was with her—he was left with the stark and painful truth—that he would never be able to use the aura. He was a failure, and he would always be one. Lucifer clenched his fists in self-loathing—his trainer had been right all along.

"I know where we're going to go!"

Lucifer jumped to attention when Mew flipped over back to him, excitement thrumming from every nerve of her body. "We're going to leave Sinnoh and go to Hoenn—we're going to go to Lavaridge town! They've got hot springs, and I want to dip. And we'll be sure to get some good training done too!" She suddenly shape-shifted again, and this time Lucario felt himself balking.

The Moltres's blue eyes didn't quite seem to belong in her face. "Come on!" Mew said brightly. "Hop on!"

Heat shimmered the air even around the pokemon—Lucifer knew he was going to cook if he rode her, and said, "Can't you be a different bird? I'll roast alive if I ride you."

"I know!" she said, and it threw him off guard. "Now get on, we haven't got all day!"

Lucifer frowned, but followed instructions—it seemed that she did everything for a purpose. Mounting on her back, Lucifer felt the sheer heat from the Moltres nearly cripple him, his steel type side of him screaming in protest at enduring the high temperatures. Then, she took off, leaving behind the fog and the jagged ground in one fell swoop showing Lucifer the wonders of flying.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite how wonderful flying had been and how amazing it had been to look down on the world, when Mew finally landed in Lavaridge town late that evening, Lucifer collapsed off of her. He was hot—so hot he felt like he was going to pass out. He was grateful to the little wretch of a cat when she shape shifted back into something else and the heat from her Moltres form disappeared. Black spots danced before his eyes, and his body felt like lead weight. Lucifer sat, dropping his head between his knees to control the dizziness—it felt as if every time he moved his head a wave of nausea passed through him.

"Are you all right?"

He didn't respond for a moment, too weak to even make himself form a response. Then, he felt cool wings fold around him, and he gave a low sound of appreciation, leaning into the soft and cold plumage of feathers. A soft and chilled wind blew on the back of his head, falling over his ears, and it took a moment for Lucifer to register that it wasn't the wind but Mew's chilled breath.

After a minute or two, he finally managed a gruff, "Thanks."

He heard her giggle. "You're welcome!"

Lucifer sighed in defeat. That giggle . . . If it could make his anger dissipate, it could make anyone feel better. He relaxed for once, resting against her, letting her cool him off with her gentle remedies. He heard Mew humming a soft lullaby—it was soothing to hear, and as his body temperature returned to normal, he felt his eyes sag, his breathing deepen. And then, just as he thought he was falling asleep, a bright voice woke him.

"Hey! How about we go ahead to the Pokemon Center and take a dip in the hot springs?"

Lucifer blinked up at her. She was an Articuno now, her grand head turned towards the light of the town just over the bend. "You up for it?"

It was the first time she was asking him. He was tempted to say no, that he wanted to rest and sleep after the grueling day of enduring the heat, but . . . Lucifer found himself oddly willing for once to listen to her. And, maybe it was because she had taken the time to ask for his opinion.

But he spoke too soon. She jumped up, shifting again, saying, "All right! Let's go!"

It was on the tip of his tongue to disagree hotly with her, but he found any words he had sucked away when he looked at her. "Mew?"

She turned her head, her blue eyes still as blue as they had been, but this time she hadn't shape shifted into a pokemon—she was a human. It was disorienting to look at her. He had to look up to see her, but she was still short for human. Her skin was a milky white, hair a golden color that cascaded down to her shoulder blades. She was a vision of beauty, even to a pokemon, and Lucario felt his heart skip a beat. She wore nothing but a leotard and pink tights, some kind of dance shoes that Lucifer wasn't used to seeing.

"See? Don't I look amazing?" She twirled around to show herself off, grinning from ear to ear. "I figured out how to do this some time ago! I wanted to interact with humans on their level, not as a mere pokemon in their eyes. So I figured out how to shape shift into a human! Handy, isn't it?"

Lucifer swallowed, standing. "Yes . . . Of course."

"But I've perfected it even more! Check this out!" Lucifer started when her psychic powers touched him, and he blinked when he suddenly had to look slightly down instead of up to see her. He looked down—and jerked wildly, stepping backwards with a cry.

"Mew!"

Now he was human too! His eyes widened in shock, staring in almost horror at his hands so different, his chest, each place devoid of the spikes he was used to.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "Here."

And then he was covered by some shorts and a t-shirt, socks and converse shoes covering his bare feet.

"Better?"

He looked up at her, fury glazing his eyes. "No! Change me back! I don't want this!"

She blinked, a bit taken off guard at his anger, but Lucifer didn't care—this was ludicrous! "No," she said, and she crossed her arms. "You're being a party pooper, and I won't have it! Now come on!"

She ran off, switching her own outfit to shorts and a tee as she ran, and Lucifer shot off after her. "Mew! Get back here!" He ran after her, but the human form was different—he found he couldn't run half as fast as he used to, and it infuriated him. But, Mew had accomplished what she wanted—she was going to get to the city for people to see them both before he could get her to change them back. And then they'd have to stay in this awful human form.

"Don't use my name!" she shouted back to him. "My codename is: Rachel! So only call me Rachel from now on!"

It was too late. She was already in the city, waving brightly to people as she ambled along, and Lucifer stopped his run, jaw clenching tight as someone noticed him. The lady started, raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and moved on. Stalking after Mew, he grabbed her arm as she started to veer away from the path to the Pokemon Center.

"I did not agree to this," he growled lowly in her ear.

She waved a hand dismissively. "I knew you wouldn't, so I did it without your say so. So get used to it, you'll have to be a human to blend in with me—they give a person queer looks when you have a silent pokemon next to you giving everyone death glares." Mew giggled and smiled at him when he turned a black glare on her. "See? Aren't you just too cute! Now, stop dragging me around," and she wrenched her arm from his grasp, waltzing along in front of him, "and escort me like a lady."

Lucifer rolled his eyes, walking stolidly behind her, whipped. Dang cat had won again. Forced to become human, Lucifer followed her to the Pokemon Center where he found that they were going to be staying.

He started to follow her into her room—she slapped a hand on his chest. "Excuse me? Where do you think you're going? Your room is there," and she pointed behind him. "I am a lady—I need my privacy!" And she slammed the door in his face.

Lucifer stood outside her door, a bit stunned. He debated this. He was a male and she was female—it was no wonder she wanted her privacy. But wasn't that the time where she was most vulnerable, and she was alone and anyone could get her?

The door opened again, and Mew was laughing. "Aw, I'm just kidding, get in here!" and she had grabbed him by his shirt, yanking him through the doorway.

Lucifer staggered into the room. It was clean, bed sheets pulled back tight and neat. The floor was spotless so that he could see his own face in it, plain curtains hung over the window. The color scheme was white and red—there were a couple red pillows on the bed, the white curtains having a trim of red, and any decoration was mostly red or white. Lucifer scoffed to himself at the plain and boring room—at least it held its purpose.

He passed the dresser—and he halted, staring at his reflection. Was that . . . what he really looked like? He supposed he was handsome, but that wasn't what made him stop. His eyes were a blazing blue, so shocking and potent that the blue seemed to take them over, to bleed into the whites and the pupil. His hair was blue too.

"Mew," he found himself saying slowly, "I . . . Couldn't you have at least made my hair a different color if my eyes . . ."

She came to stand next to him, looking in the mirror with him. "No. The hair stays blue. It took enough of my psychic powers to at least make it look normal."

Lucifer jerked, blinking wide at her. "Normal?"

"Yeah!" she said instantly. "Here, this is what it looked like before," and she waved her hand, and he felt psychic powers lift off him.

Lucifer jolted again as his thick hair became electric blue as well, seeming to lift off of his head as if it were weightless. It seemed to almost float, but it was as equally blue as his stark blue eyes.

"You want to know what that is?" Mew asked, and before he knew it, she had dug both hands into his hair, ruffling it as she brought her face right next to his. "THIS is your untapped potential for the aura." Then, she grabbed a handful of his thick hair behind his head, shoving his face close to the mirror until all he could see was his own eyes. "THAT blue color—that is how powerful your aura is. So powerful that it changes your very appearance because it can't be contained inside of you."

No. He couldn't possibly be as powerful as she hinted. Yet . . . As he backed up a little more to get a better look at his hair, he could see the energies thriving in it, making it move and stand and wave at the sheer power inside him. Lucifer swallowed, staring into his eyes. What if she was right? What if . . . what if all it took was him believing in himself? Could he actually master the aura inside him and become the greatest there was? It was almost too much for his mind to handle. But he could see the evidence right there by looking at himself that—

"Lucifer!"

He jumped, a knee jamming into the dresser. "What?" he growled as he turned around.

Mew studied herself in the full-length mirror. "Hm. What color should I wear, Lucifer? Purple?" Lucifer jumped when she twirled, her outfit suddenly becoming drastically cut, showing more than he thought it should. He couldn't help how his eyes popped at the bikini she wore, now colored an electric purple that was fading and changing colors, to a deep dark purple and back to a lighter color.

She spun again. "How about red?" And she was still wearing a two piece bikini, only this one was lower cut around the waist and had no straps on the top, a frill around the waist and a frill below her breast. "Oh! Cherries!" and it changed again, this time bleaching white before little red cherries popped up all over it.

Lucifer's chest pounded hard—it was even skimpier than the last. But then, she changed her mind again. "No, no, no—pink!" He sucked in a breath when she twirled around again, but his fears were put to rest when she wore a halter top and tight boy shorts, actually the most conservative bathing suit she had tried on yet.

But . . . Though she had asked his opinion, he found himself tongue-tied. All he could think was leopard skin, leopard, leopard—he knew it would make her look like a warrior goddess with her golden hair.

"No—better. Leopard."

His eyes shot up as she switched outfits yet again, and his breath stilled. It was perfect. Somehow, he had known that leopard would look good on her—

Wait! He felt his suspicions rise again. That wasn't just happenstance that she randomly decided to try a leopard pattern just when he thought about it . . . was it? "Mew?" he started to say, careful to hide his suspicion so that she wouldn't suspect anything.

"You were right—leopard does look better!" she said to him, making him jolt as she twisted and turned to get a better look at the one piece swimsuit she now wore, lifting her hair to make sure the halter top was tied to her liking. It looked as if something had clawed her right side, three thin rips decorating her right waist and displaying the faintest of skin.

Lucifer opened his mouth to speak, but Mew beat him to the punch again. "You want to know how I knew what you were thinking? Well, I'll tell you. I read your aura."

Lucifer didn't bother to hide his suspicion this time, narrowing his eyes at her in the Pokecenter room. "You read my aura?" he repeated. "You weren't even looking at me!"

She shrugged, ogling herself in the mirror again. "So? I saw your aura through the mirror, though it was a bit disoriented because it was reflected." She messed with her hair, even though they fell in perfect golden locks down her back. "Besides, I could feel yourself screaming on the inside that I would look good in it through your aura, so I tried it out and—viola!" Mew threw up her hands, smiling as she turned around to him. "I look great now. But—what to put you in?"

Lucifer started, opening his mouth. "Mew—"

"I told you, my codename is Rachel, so use it!" And he suddenly jumped when the air conditioning washed over the bare skin of his chest. Looking down, he silently groaned on the inside—she had started to change his outfit too. He was wearing simple swim trunks, green with pink flowers.

Mew tutted her tongue. "Nope." She switched the colors to an oceanic blue, added little Luvidsc to it, switched the pokemon to a twisting Eelektross, then gave up again, letting it fall blank and white. "Hmm . . ." she murmured softly to herself. "No pink . . . No green . . . Purple?" Lucifer crossed his arms as he waited for her to choose. The purple stripes appeared jagged on his trunks until the material suddenly switched, hugging his skin tight as a Speedo, and the pattern changed to a Seviper, its jaw open around his—

"Mew, no," he said flatly, resisting the urge to blush.

"Of course not that," she said flippantly, "I'm just having fun. Would you rather a thong?"

He scowled at her, snapping, "Well stop having fun! If we're going to do this, then hurry up and let's be done with it."

She rolled her eyes, saying, "But the point IS to have fun. Relax already." And finally, she changed the awful Speedo into normal swim trunks again, this time dying them a deep blue with electric blue flames on them. "Better?"

"Fine," he said quickly. "Whatever. Let's just do it."

Mew's lips twitched, and he assumed she was just going to brush off his sour attitude all together, because she ran to the bathroom, grabbed the towels and tossed one at him, squealing, "All right, let's go! Hot tub time!"

Lucifer scowled again as she grabbed his hand, forcibly dragging him out the door and down the hallway. He followed unwilling as they headed towards the back to go to the hot spring—but a passel of giggling girls stopped them. The small group pushed one forward that was trying vainly not to be, fresh out of the hot spring because they had their towels wrapped around their bodies, hair still wet.

"Um . . ." she started shyly, and Mew jumped right in.

"Hi!" she said brightly to her. "My name's Rachel! And this is—" she didn't miss a beat as she gestured to Lucifer, "Dexter. Dexter, say hi."

Lucifer took one glance at the jittery girls and nearly scowled yet again. "Hi," he stated shortly, making the first one blink as he took Mew's arm. "Let's go, Rachel," and he drug her out the back door.

"Wait!" she cried, glancing over her shoulder as they disappeared away from the girls. "What's wrong? They like you!"

Furious, he spun her around, whispering, "They are HUMANS! We are pokemon, and never will be human. It doesn't matter if they like me, I am a human for the moment, but I am a pokemon forever."

He glanced over at the girls, who were staring curiously, and he growled, and he grabbed Mew's elbow, dragging her down the wooden walkway towards the hot tub. Mew wrenched herself from his grasp.

"Okay, that has GOT to stop," she told him, putting her hands on her hips as he whirled on her. "Do NOT start dragging me off like you've been doing, I am not putting up with that crap anymore, I'll be sure to knock you silly if you try that again. Got it?"

Lucifer's jaw clenched, but he couldn't do anything—she was stronger, and like it or not, she was in charge. "Fine."

She perked up instantly. "Good! Now, it's time for the hot springs!" Mew scampered ahead, tossing her towel aside as she stepped into the deserted hot spring, sighing as the warmth of the water hit her. As she lowered herself fully in it, she gestured to Lucifer. "Come on in and join me! It's great!"

He rolled his eyes, but sank in next to her—the water was hot, but not uncomfortable. He shot Mew a look, and she nodded.

"Yep. The heat's not bothering you right now, is it?" When Lucifer shook his head, she added, "It's because you're not a Lucario. Your steel half isn't bothering you now."

He went to the opposite side, looking out over all the people that still walked about in the late evening as the sun fully disappeared beyond the horizon. Mew relaxed next to him, but he could feel her looking at him. Lucifer crossed his arms against the edge of the pool, resting his chin on them as he watched them. The tub wasn't bad . . . but it wasn't great. He just sat, waiting for Mew to be ready to get out.

"Shall we go back to lesson one?"

Lucifer frowned, not even turning to her. He wanted to say no, but . . . he wasn't going to improve by doing nothing. "What could we possibly do here?" he asked tiredly.

"Plenty," Mew said easily. "I want you to use your aura to look out there and see those people."

Lucifer frowned more, but followed instructions. Closing his eyes, he reached out to the aura, not seeing far down the hill to the folks that still lingered out there. He could see the slope of the hill until about halfway down where it blurred, and faded, disappearing from his sight.

He sighed. "I can't see them."

"Do you know what a normal person's aura looks like?"

Lucifer nodded. He remembered seeing his trainer's aura.

"Then look at my aura."

Turning around, Lucifer stopped short, eyes widening. It was so . . . so beautiful. So BRIGHT. Unconsciously, Lucifer moved closer, grabbing her arms as his lips parted in shock at seeing the aura so clearly for once in his life.

"Mew," he whispered, forgetting her codename again, "I—I can see it. Mew, I—I see the aura!"

He watched as her aura churned, humor showing through as well as a degree of—what was it? Compassion?—and he heard her laugh, felt the shake of her beneath his hands. "Well of course you can," she said a bit wryly, but he knew that she was trying to be careful with her emotions—he could see nearly everything while looking at her aura. "You are a Lucario after all—I believe," and she added amazed sarcasm to her voice, "That they are actually quite gifted, I'm sure they are!"

Lucifer shook his head, staring at her aura as he watched the emotions ripple through it, stunned at the sheer beauty of seeing the aura so clearly, stunned at the beauty of seeing her aura. It was then he realized that she was the Mother of all pokemon, and of course, she would because she was almost the entity of life itself.

"But . . ." he whispered softly, thinking of his trainer, "Yours is so . . . so beautiful. I've—I've never seen an aura like this before." She practically glowed before him because her aura was so strong—he bet that he could see hers farther away than any other aura he ever met in his lifetime.

Hearing something, Lucifer looked up—and froze, a bit puzzled seeing three more auras in front of him, yet they were weak and faint to his vision compared to Mew's strong and vibrant one. He opened his eyes, saw three old women coming closer, and they caught sight of the two in the pool.

Lucifer quickly shoved back from Mew, angry when he felt a blush sear his cheeks at his swift retreat, knowing exactly what caused all three of them to giggle like young girls again. Curse her for making herself so shapely and beautiful, and he so built and handsome!

"Oh, don't mind us," the first old lady said as she got into the hot spring with them, her friends following as they smiled at them. "Young lovers are so adorable!"

Lucifer's scowl deepened, but he didn't know how to fix the situation without embarrassing themselves further, so succumbed to silence at his own corner of the pool, looking out blankly over the town.

"Oh, he's shy!" one of the other grannies said with a laugh, and Lucifer had to admit he was grateful when Mew came to the rescue again.

"Oh!" He could hear a faint blush in Mew's voice. "No, we're not lovers ma'am, please don't get this confused."

"You say you're not?" one of the women asked. "Well, I find that hard to believe after such passion like that!"

Lucifer silently grumbled to himself that it was passion for seeing the aura, the one thing he had never seen so clearly in his life—not this, this—this obnoxious and vain cat! And it was true too, he felt nothing for Mew herself, just awe at looking at the aura for once—and he felt a low urge in his chest to see it again.

"It wasn't me though—he was looking at my aura, and it was the first one he had seen clearly."

Wasn't that saying too much? Lucifer could only listen as one of their company said, "The aura?"

"Yeah!" Mew's response was zealous, and he could hear a lecture coming. "You see, Dexter and I are Aura Guardians, some of the few people in the world that can actually manipulate auras! Oh! I forgot—My name is Rachel, and this is Dexter."

Several more introductions were passed around behind Lucifer, and he wondered belatedly where Mew had gotten a name like Dexter. Soon, Mew was questioned about him looking at her aura, and she launched into an explanation.

"You see," she was saying, "I've been teaching Dexter to use his aura better, because he's not very good at it yet. His vision with the aura is limited, and I was trying to get him to see the aura better by looking at mine—mine's really bright, kinda neon-like." Lucifer frowned. That was the understatement of the year. "So naturally, being the first aura he saw clearly, he was pretty animated."

He could hear the women talking amongst themselves, and he was going to zone out completely when he heard Mew say, "Okay, Dexter, can you see their auras?"

Turning obediently at her voice, Lucifer closed his eyes and looked at the auras. They were weaker, but he could see them clearly. He cut a glance over to Mew longing to see her brightness again—and was rewarded with seeing the silhouette of her body engulfed by a beaming blue aura.

"Yes, I see them," he told her.

"Good! Now look down on those people on the sidewalk. Can you see them?"

Loathing to turn away from that grand sight, he forced himself to look back down the slope of the hill. Still, about halfway down the hill, he lost the vision again, and he sighed, "No. I can't see them."

He heard movement behind him, then felt Mew reaching around him to put her hands on his. Something close to a shock ran through them, and she said, "How about now?"

Lucifer looked up—and he gave a short yell, jerking backwards into Mew where his head cracked against something, and her hands jumped from him.

"Ow! That was my jaw!"

Lucifer looked back at her with wide eyes, barely taking hint at her rubbing her jaw. He nearly burst out her name again, but managed to control himself at the last second. "M—I saw it! I—I saw them with the aura! Wh-what did you do?"

She smiled at him then, saying, "Well, I used my aura to channel into yours, giving you the extra boost you needed to see."

Heart pounding with excitement, Lucifer whirled around, looking down at the people. "Can—Can you do it again?"

"Sure." He felt Mew reach around him again as she laid her hands on his, and Lucifer swallowed hard as the aura spread out far, letting him see the whole expanse with his aura. He felt a breath expel shakily from him. He . . . he could see it all. Everything! He looked down on the people that walked by, so easily seeing them. Heart pounding in his chest, he looked out farther—he could see a trainer coming from the edge of the city! He could see the auras of pokemon sleeping in the trees! He could see everything.

When Mew started to let go, he grabbed her hands, yanking her against him. Unwilling to let go of the connection that was letting him see the aura, he held her hands tightly as he surveyed everything. Overwhelmed at seeing everything through the eyes of one who could actually use their aura properly, Lucifer let his gaze roam over the trees, through things! He could see people dining in a restaurant.

* * *

><p>Mew waited for him to say something, and when he didn't Mew decided he had seen enough—however, just as she started to pull back, he grabbed her hands in a steely grip, yanking her forward.<p>

Her breath caught when she was pressed fully against his back. What—a hot blush touched her cheeks in mortification when she saw how her breasts flattened against his skin—they weren't big, but still, what had possessed her to make them as big as they were! A slight panic picked up in her when he still refused to let go, but it disappeared for a different emotion when she heard him speak.

"Mew . . ." he whispered softly in awe, and she felt her compassion rise with the steam from the hot spring. "I—I can see . . . I'm seeing with the aura!"

A feeling overwhelmed her. A feeling that made her want to relax into the poor, misunderstood Lucario, and she felt her eyelids lowering as she felt her compassion rise. Then, she panicked again, yanking herself free of him.

* * *

><p>Lucifer jolted back to reality as soon as Mew yanked herself away, sharply cutting him off from her aura and leaving him with his own. Then, it all became a void to him again except for that little bit that he could see.<p>

He whirled on Mew who had a pink face, snapping, "And what was the point of that?"

She shrugged lightly, avoiding his gaze as she said, "I've been in the hot spring for too long. See? My face is getting all flushed." And she hoisted herself up for a slight break, bringing herself out of the water.

Angry that he was helpless without her, Lucifer growled, "You just let me feel the aura and then you jerk it away? What was the point of that?"

Mew raised an eyebrow at him. "The point? To give you something to work for so that you're willing to work. "

Lucifer clenched his jaw tightly, more angry at himself than he was at Mew, furious that he still couldn't touch the aura; he left the tub and everyone in it, snatching up his towel so he wouldn't drip like a dog all the way through the Pokecenter's hallways.

It was only a little later that he heard a knock on his door. "Dexter?" He rolled his eyes, not answering her. Where had she come up with the bloody name? "Be ready to go early in the morning—we wake when the sun wakes, and leave immediately after!"

He rolled over on the bed and tried to go to sleep. All the better.

* * *

><p>"Dexter!"<p>

Lucifer jolted awake, cracking his eyes open at Mew. She was dressed different, pants and hiking boots, a loose plaid shirt that was unbuttoned at the top. She even had a floppy hiker hat. "What are you waiting on? Let's go!"

He groaned but woke as bidden, sitting up. He soon found that she had already switched his clothing—he was dressed similarly, and he frowned. "Where are we going?"

"Training!" Mew said brightly. "Lesson Number Three: Teaching you endurance!" She grabbed his hand when he still blinked owlishly at her, half asleep, but he woke up as he had to jog to keep up with her she was leaving the Pokemon Center so quickly.

The instant they stepped outside the doors though, Mew took off running. Lucifer didn't waste his breath—somehow, he knew he was going to need it later. Following her down the streets, he kept her in his sights all the way out of the city and into a nearby forest, but was surprised when she suddenly stopped and whirled on him.

"All right—here we are!" and she suddenly shape shifted into a Pichu again, and Lucifer looked down—and saw the spike on his chest. He was a Lucario again!

He glanced over as she planted herself on his neck, piggyback style. "Mew?"

"Let's go!" and she pointed up the Jagged Pass. "Endurance can't come any better than trying to run up the Jagged Pass, and then we'll start training at Mt. Chimney!"

"Then get off," Lucifer growled. "I'm not your horse—you can come up on your own."

"No!" Surprised she was disagreeing, Mew stated, "I'm on you for extra weight, silly! Now don't you tell me to get off your shoulder again or else I'll turn into something heavier and you'll STILL be bringing me to the top! Now let's get a move on!"

Lucifer gritted his teeth and said nothing. It was clear she was being stubborn and there was no changing her mind, so he started to run, trying not to look up the massive mountain and think of how long a day it was going to be.

Careful not to stumble, Lucifer ran up at Mew's prompting to not walk, saying that she wanted to make it up fast. And so quickly, Lucifer found that Mew's light weight was getting heavier and heavier the farther up he went, the more tired he got. He stopped for drinks in the small creeks running down, but soon found himself without a water source because they were running up a volcano. He found that Mew was his source of water now, whenever she gave him a drink of water. As the heat got more and more unbearable the farther up he went, more sweat poured off his body at the strenuous exercise.

"Lesson Number Four!" Mew proclaimed as he panted, yet again asking for a drink. "Learning to endure the heat!" Lucifer nodded silently, heaving deep breaths before taking off again. He could see the crest—and it was about time too. He could feel hunger gnawing at his stomach, and knew it must be in the middle of the day. Finding a driving urge to make it to the top, Lucifer sped up a little, muscles burning at the overuse until he broke free over the top, Mew sitting pertly as a Pichu on his shoulder as he heaved a great gasp, finding smooth land. He had finally made it to the top of Mt. Chimney.

"Great job, Lucifer!" Mew congratulated him instantly as he bent over and gasped for air, leaping off his shoulder. The heat was so intense! The air shimmered with it, and he could see the lava bubbling from where he stood—he was melting in the heat! It burned down his throat when he gasped more.

Lucifer had never been more grateful to Mew than when she transformed into a Tropius, planting herself between him and the lava, also acting as shade for him as he rested. Collapsing at her feet, he leaned against her leg as she used her wings to fan him. He arched—the breeze was delicious!

Mew leaned her head down next to him. "Here," she said. "Have a banana! You need to eat something. It'll help!"

Tired, Lucifer reached up and took a fruit from her neck, peeling it apart. Taking a bite, he rested back in a miniature heaven in the middle of the heat of hell. It was a tasty fruit, sweet as he regenerated his energy and cooled off some, and he depleted her neck of fruit. The ache of hunger was subdued, but not stated.

Then, Mew suddenly transformed again, this time into a Blastoise as she gave him a drink, and then she cried, "All right! Down to business!"

Lucifer blinked, standing. "What kind of business?"

"Training you, of course!" Lucifer blinked as she backed up, changing yet again so that she was an Infernape. "Lesson Number Five: the art of combat! I want to see how you fight without your attacking moves!" Her fingers curled, egging him on. "Attack me!"

Lucifer gritted his teeth, but knew that now was the time where his training seriously began. Attacking conservatively at first, he tried to learn Mew's style of fighting—but she wouldn't have it. She brought on the offensive, making Lucifer fall back for a minute, blocking her hands and periodic kicks, but he refused to be put on the defensive—Lucifer made the first hit of the match, striking her side before she dutifully accepted drawing defense to her side, watching his movements and understanding how he fought. Lucifer and Mew traded blows, hitting each other until they finally broke away, chests heaving.

"All right," Mew said, resetting her position, "Now, you can use your attacks."

That made it all the easier for Lucifer. Coming first with a Mega Punch, Mew countered him with the same move, and he soon found that she countered him with the same moves. Unable to get past her defenses, Lucifer improved more, grabbing one of her arms and twisting it back hard as he nearly ripped her shoulder from her socket—and then her tail wrapped around his ankle, hefting him up easily. A Fire Punch sent him crashing back, pain making him grunt and groan when he hit the ground at the super effective hit. Before Lucifer could even think to defend, a Flame Burst hit him hard, making him scream out in pain, the remnants of the attack little bits of fire that loitered around him.

Lucifer shook hard as he struggled back to his feet, the sheer heat around him making him dizzy. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

Mew just shrugged a shoulder. "Lesson Number Six: conquering the weaknesses of your steel type side. Heat, fighting attacks—you name it, we're conquering it." Then, without warning, she sent a Flamethrower his way, the attack amplified by the blazing sun and the boiling lava—Lucifer ducked out of the way, struggling to stay alert as Mew led him in this deadly dance.

The day passed slowly for Lucifer. He succumbed to her rigorous training because he knew she would make him a better Lucario in the end, but the niggling feeling that she was even less lenient in her training than his old trainer had been, stayed in his mind.

The day passed to evening—finally, Mew said they would stop.

Lucifer's knees shook, and he plopped down hard on the ground, exhausted. Mew stopped to hydrate him well again, giving him a blessed Icy Wind to cool him off after the hard attacks he had taken.

He didn't get to rest long though. "All right, time to head back down to the Pokemon Center," Mew said, and Lucifer couldn't stop a groan.

"I don't have to carry you, do I?" He honestly didn't think he could take it.

But she shook her head, changing into an Absol so she could handle the rough terrain of the Jagged Pass better. "No, you've worked hard—I won't make you carry me. But you can and will make it to the bottom. I'm sure you can do it."

Lucifer nodded, forced his body up, and began the long descent. Mew carried on well next to him, but she honestly looked none worse for the wear. Lucifer spent all his energy focused on getting down the mountain again, but even with him trying so hard, his exhaustion was inevitable—he stumbled, tripped, and started to fall, but he felt a soft, cool body supporting him. Worn out completely, he accepted the ride from Mew, now a Suicune, and found himself at the bottom in record time.

Mew changed into a small Pichu again, letting Lucario back on his feet. She jumped up on his shoulder, and he almost thought he would fall over. "Come on," she said softly. "Just to the Pokemon Center. We're almost there."

He nodded mutely, grateful when she got off to lead the way. The Pokemon Center slowly came into view—he stumbled in, and Mew immediately had Nurse Joy there to take care of him. It was under different circumstances coming into the Pokecenter, but Lucifer didn't care anymore—he just wanted to sleep.

But, a tiny Pichu patted his cheeks, keeping him awake a bit longer. "Your battle style is nice, but we're going to improve it, all right?" His eyelids started to droop again as he felt himself being hooked up to a machine, and Mew patted his cheeks again. "You did well. Go on and sleep."

And, oddly, after everything she had put him through, it made all the difference to hear that she appreciated his dedication to the training.


	3. Chapter 3

Someone was patting his cheeks. "Lucifer. Lucifer! Wake up!"

He groaned low, blinking owlishly at the tiny Pichu. Mew was pulling the equipment of the Pokemon Center off him. "Come on, get up! It's morning! The sun is already up!"

Lucifer grunted, rolled over, and tried to ignore her.

"Hey!" He gave another low grunt when he felt her jump on him. "Get up! We have to train!"

"We just did . . ." he finally mumbled, so exhausted he felt like he was going to fall right back to sleep. "All day . . . yesterday . . ."

"So?" She jumped again and again on him, and Lucifer felt himself getting irritated—and against his will, waking up.

"Get off of me."

"No! We've gotta go train again! You want to get stronger, right? Then there will be no slacking off! Get up!" Mew tugged on his ear before she got off. He thought for a split instant that she was going to leave him be, but as always, Lucifer found himself thinking wrong with Mew—he felt big hands on him, and he found himself flipped from the bed, landing roughly on the hard tile. Lucifer scowled, sitting up finally.

"What the hell was that for?" he growled at her, heavy bags under his eyes. She was a huge Hariyama, but she changed her form again back to a Pichu, wiggling beneath the bed to cross the room quicker.

"Well, you had to get up," she said easily, shrugging a shoulder. "And don't give me any lip, you were healed and you feel perfectly fine! Besides, what would you be doing if I was being attacked right now?"

Lucifer set his jaw, fists clenching. "I'd be protecting you, of course, that's why I'm with you."

She shook her head, the door to the room coming open with her Psychic. "Not from what I've seen if you can't even get up when I ask you to. Now come on! We've got some more training to do." She disappeared out the door.

"There is NO DANGER!" he yelled back at her, furious that nothing was ever happening, but she obviously ignored him.

Lucifer scowled deep, but got up and followed her, leaving the Pokemon Center. But, just like the other day, Mew started to run and he had to run to keep up. It was easier this time since she was so little and had so little strides, but he asked, "What are we doing today?"

"Same as yesterday!" she proclaimed, and Lucifer groaned. "To the top of Mt. Chimney!"

And so, for the next two weeks, Lucifer found himself under Mew's thumb of intense training at the top of Mt. Chimney. The heat was intense in the middle of summer, weathering him as well as the fire attacks Mew pelted him with. She also taught him "Lesson Number Seven": to speak with telepathy. She said it was to help him communicate with humans as a Lucario as well.

Mew's first priority in teaching him was the ways of fighting—she said that he would learn every fighting type style, first starting with Infernape. It was difficult—a Lucario's tail wasn't meant to move in ways an Infernape's could, and Lucifer soon found that he wasn't as flexible as he thought when it came to fighting Mew as an Infernape.

And Mew had been right about learning over four moves—Lucifer soon figured out how to use Quick Guard, fed up with getting hit one too many times by her in training. He also learned Feint through his frustration with training—Mew would like to use a Protect many times over, and he wanted to find a way past it.

Soon, Lucifer found himself in much better shape than he was in years—he was in the best shape he had ever been in, and within the first week, he was making it up and down Mt. Chimney on his own. It slowly became easier to endure the fire type attacks that Mew attacked with, and he could fight back against her. He found himself as flexible as an Infernape, fighting quick and fluently, the long hours of training paying off.

Finally, nearing the end of the third week, Mew glanced up at Lucifer who ran next to her as they headed back to the Pokemon Center. He felt her eyes on him, but he was tired, and decided to wait until they were at the Pokemon Center before he would ask anything.

It had been some time since Lucifer had needed the healing remedies of Nurse Joy—Mew found that he became weathered quicker when he let his body heal naturally.

"Pichu?"

It was still weird calling her Pichu after the pokemon she had taken to being at most all times, but she perched in front of him as he leaned against the Pokecenter wall. "Yes, Lucifer?"

He leaned back, looking up at the sky. "What did you want to say on the way over?"

This time, it was Mew that looked up and away from him. She pondered the question silently, and Lucifer waited for her to say something. He wondered, what could make her hesitant?

"You've mastered Infernape's style of fighting," she stated, turning back to him. "We will have to move on from that." She paused again. "You learned that incredibly fast—the fastest I've ever seen it done."

Lucifer just shook his head, leaning back and closing his eyes. "I have a good teacher."

"But I've taught others. Other Infernape—and none of them mastered their own style as fast as you did." He cracked open his eyes to look at her, and found her staring intimately at him in confusion. "It is most interesting . . ." Then, she shook her head, changing her mind about something. "Use your aura again. Tell me what you see now."

Lucifer complied, reaching out to it. This time, however, he had to blink twice. It was . . . different. He could see Mew's clearer now—it still contained that beauty he had been accustomed to sneaking peeks of, but now he was reading her emotions better and . . . he could see a bit farther now. Instead of only a few feet, he was seeing several yards almost.

"See?" Mew said. "You've been using your aura to keep sneaking looks at mine—and because you're giving your aura more use than you had before, you are seeing farther. Practice."

He glanced back to Mew's bright aura. "And how did you know I've been using my aura to do that?"

He saw a ripple play across Mew's silhouetted form, her aura responding as he detected humor in her. "Please, Lucifer," she said. "I can feel everything you do with your aura."

Lucifer shook his head, reading more into her aura. A slight smile played at his lips. "Well, wouldn't you know? You're proud of me."

"I—I'm what?" she squeaked, suddenly coming to attention.

"I said—"

"I know what you said!" she burst, and he saw embarrassment as well. "Stop that! I—I didn't know you could read me so well . . ."

Lucifer obliged, dropping his touch with the aura. He looked down at the little Pichu next to him. "You're becoming easier for me to read as the days go by." He threw her a lopsided grin. "Soon, you won't be able to keep anything from me!"

He thought he saw her blush as she protested sarcastically, "Yes, right, definitely. Stop wasting time and get to sleep—the sun is setting, and you are tired. So, stop pestering me and go to sleep already."

She turned away and flounced off, but Lucifer chuckled, leaning back and closing his eyes. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."

"Would you—just—just stop that!"

He laughed. "You know I'm just doing it to get on your nerves."

"Well then—then, just don't! Just stop it! It's driving me crazy!"

Lucifer opened his eyes to grin at her again. "That's the whole point, Mew."

"But—you—I—I just—would you—" She stopped mid-sentence; groaning and flopping on the hard ground, she let her forehead hit the ground, ears drooping. "All right, all right," she mumbled. "I give. You win. Don't even know why I try . . ."

Lucifer just chuckled again, leaning back to relax and go to sleep. As a last parting gift to her, he added, "Just consider it payback for those first hard days of training."

* * *

><p>"Lucifer . . ."<p>

The voice was soft in his ear, soft but . . . seductive. He was awake almost immediately.

"Lucifer . . . It is time to wake up." He felt warm breath on his ear, and soft lips brush his jaw. "Wake up."

Lucifer opened his eyes to stare straight into the eyes of a gorgeous Lucario that had herself positioned above him, hands on either side of him, clearly predatorily above him. He jumped, knocking his head against the wall he had fallen asleep against. Only a second later of a heart pounding hard at the close proximity did he recognize her.

"Mew!" he burst and she giggled, transforming back into a Pichu instantly and racing away. "What the hell!"

She laughed, giggling mischievously. "That's for messing with me last night!" she told him, and he groaned, standing up. "Now, let's go!"

Following her unconditionally, Lucifer and she had a light breakfast made of the Rawst berries nearby as they left Lavaridge town. Heading down some steep ledges, Lucifer asked, "So, where are we going today?"

"To Route 111!" Mew proclaimed. "To the desert! Since you've excelled so much in handling the heat, we're going to see what we can do to your steel side with ground attacks." She glanced up. "Which reminds me, we had better get moving—I want to get as much training in as possible!"

She shape shifted into a Manectric, and Lucifer had to run to keep up with her speed. The terrain was easier to follow, even if she strayed off the beaten path—it was easy to keep up after making his way up and down the Jagged Pass for so long. However, he was shocked silly when Mew suddenly halted, sending a Thunder his way.

Too late to react, Lucifer yelled, pitching to his knees at the sheer power behind the blow. Still shaking from the jolt of electricity, Lucifer sent a black glare to Mew.

"And what the hell did you do that for?" he spat, standing shakily.

"Lesson Number Eight: Reflexes! What good is that Quick Guard of yours if you can't even get it up in time to protect yourself? Now, keep up!"

Lucifer clenched his jaw tight in irritation, hating the fact that she was right and the fact that he wasn't good enough yet. Tearing after her, they made it to the desert in record time—his speed had increased with better endurance.

The sandstorm raged. It wasn't awful for him—if anything he'd have to be careful to keep the sand out of his eyes, but he felt fine standing there—it was because of his steel type side. But, he knew that by the end of the day it was because of his steel type side that he would be in pain again.

Mew transformed again, this time as a Flygon. "Here's a useful tip," she said brightly. "You can use more than one move at a time. See? Watch me." And then, suddenly he saw her slicing with a Dragon Claw, dancing with a Dragon Dance, wings slashing through the air with a Steel Wing, tail swinging with an Iron Tail, and from her mouth came a Dragonbreath that shimmered the air. After a few seconds of the amazing charade, she let it drop. Mew looked at Lucifer. "See? It's quite tricky keeping them all going, especially in battle—I don't suggest more than two at once in battle, three if you are exceptionally talented."

Lucifer nodded his consent, sponging in her teachings.

"Now, as for getting you used to being jarred and shook and jerked and wrenched every which way, here's how we'll start." She shape shifted into a Marowak, waving the bone at him—Lucifer tensed, readying himself for whatever she had in store.

She attacked, but not quite exactly how he expected—from below his feet, the sands shifted, rising up and around him all the way up to his neck, hardening instantly. Lucifer struggled inside the Sand Tomb, but he was caught.

Mew lifted her bone and waved it—Lucifer tensed. A Bone Club—

"You might want to get out of there, and quickly," Mew said, walking forward. "I'll keep hitting you until you get out!"

Lucifer struggled silently, teeth gritting, but felt her Bone Club smash down hard on him. He clenched his jaw tighter, refusing to scream out, but knowing that later on he would be.

Focusing on the task at hand, Lucifer struggled against his bonds for some time, getting hit with two more Bone Clubs that sends sparks dancing through his eyes, and just when the Sand Tomb started to fade and he thought he would have a chance to escape, Mew used it again, reinforcing her hold.

Hit hard again, Lucifer panted, a little drool starting to inch out of his mouth as he sucked in deep breaths to clear his head. How was he supposed to escape the things damnable hold on him? Trying to summon up a Mega Punch from where his hands were trapped, he found he couldn't move them an inch. He couldn't even throw up a Quick Guard to protect himself a little from those Bone Clubs!

As he was knocked so hard he cried out, Mew backed away, giving him some time to reassemble himself. The Sand Tomb kept its tight and relentless hold on him.

"Here's a hint," Mew said. "The easiest way to get out of there is to use your aura."

Lucifer scowled, seething silently on the inside. She knew he couldn't use his aura! He couldn't possibly attack with the aura itself! What was she thinking? Infuriated, Lucifer was forced to endure yet another Bone Club hitting him as he fought to find a way out. He couldn't do anything with the aura but look at it! The closest thing to the aura he had was Force Palm—

And then the sheer simplicity of the exercise struck him. Force Palm—an aura based move, the aura itself focused through the palm of the hand, and the only bit he could actually use with the aura. The power welled in him, and Lucifer attacked even with his hands pinned, the Sand Tomb breaking apart. He ducked away from Mew's Bone Club, thankful to finally be able to move and get out of the way.

Panting, rubbing a particularly sore spot on his head, Lucifer watched Mew as she hefted the bone onto her shoulder. He couldn't tell her expression under the skull, but she said brightly, "Good! You finally figured it out! Took you quite a while."

Lucifer spat out a glob of blood from his mouth—must have bit his tongue. "Yeah," he said cynically. "I guess when it comes to the aura, I have to have the lesson beat into my head."

"Oh, don't be such as basket case," Mew said flippantly, and she changed yet again. This time, she was a Dugtrio. "Now, watch out, here I come!"

Once again Lucifer was subject to Mew's strenuous teachings—the two weeks in the desert passed slowly. She soon started teaching him the ways of the Medicham, but he was surprised when she didn't teach him their ways of fighting—she had him try to meditate in the middle of the desert sandstorm.

That in itself was a challenge for Lucifer—he had never been a pokemon to sit around and do nothing. He was restless, and he would jump to attention at the smallest of sounds, and couldn't focus with the raging sandstorm. The two weeks stretched to three before he meditated to Mew's heart's content. It was then that she began to teach them how they fought—how they ate only a berry a day to temper their spirits. Lucifer picked up on their style of fighting quicker than the fluid and fluent twists and bends of the Infernape—it was closer to his own style of fighting, better suited for him. And, finally, they left the desert behind.

Following alongside Mew, still as a tiny little Pichu, Lucifer asked, "Now what?"

"Hm . . ." She trotted seemingly untroubled for several seconds, and then burst, "We're going to go to Lilycove City! There's a lady there that I heard teaches belly dancing—I haven't learned how to do that yet."

Lucifer blinked. "Belly . . . dancing?"

"Yeah!" And then, she shot a sudden Electro Ball at him without even turning around—Lucifer grunted low when it hit his gut, scowling at her—if he would ever learn! "I've learned how to do ballet, I can hip-hop, I can street dance—those people on the streets really get down! I haven't learned how to tap yet, that's something else on the list, but I was engaged first for belly dancing when I saw Shakira do it—wow! That child is very impressive, and it's been only recently now that I get the joke about her hips not lying." Mew laughed, but didn't explain the joke, leaving Lucifer in the dark. "So! We'll head to Lilycove. But!" and she suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Lucifer. "I'm going to teach you Extreme Speed so we can get there in half the time. See—I'm a real time saver!"

He grunted. "Fine, whatever."

Mew took a second glance at him, brows puckering. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied shortly, continuing to walk.

Mew jumped up on his shoulder, causing a quirk of irritation in him. "It is not 'nothing' and I know it, and you know it too! So fess up. What is bothering you?"

He gritted his teeth. "Everything! I might appreciate the training, but what you do by turning into a human is ridiculous, not to mention stupid! And I don't know what in hell's name you mean that there is danger, there is NO DANGER! We've been traveling for almost two months now, and NOTHING has happened!"

When she just stared at him for a moment, he knocked her off of him. "And stay off of my shoulder!"

He didn't know how fast she could react until that day when a Thunder sent him to his knees, gasping for breath. He turned back quickly with a Bone Rush, intending on striking her hard, but a Psychic blasted him to the ground, sending his own Bone Rush smashing into him as well. A hard and scaly body wrapped around him, and he clenched his jaw tight when he felt Mew's new body squeeze tight, threatening to crush him.

The Arbok's fangs were poised, and Mew snarled, "All right, let's just get one thing straight right now—you DO NOT push me around like that, I've had enough of your attitude! I've helped you train, helped you overcome your weaknesses, I've helped you finally catch a little hold on your precious aura that you covet. And how do I get repaid? By your sorry attitude and griping!" Lucifer flinched when she struck close to his face, fangs snapping mere inches away. Against his will, a shaft of fear hit him—she was still stronger. She could take him out if it so pleased her. The Wrap tightened on him. "And just so you know," she hissed, "I honestly don't think there is much danger either, and if there was, I could certainly handle it on my own! However . . . I have a friend who disagrees. To appease him, I WILL have someone protecting me, and if you don't want the job then say so right now!"

Lucifer's jaw clenched tight. He wanted to say he didn't want it—he didn't! But even if he didn't want the job itself, she was right—he coveted being powerful, he coveted the ability to use his aura—and she was the best person to teach him.

When he said nothing, Mew let him go—he gasped for breath immediately, rubbing his sore throat.

Mew was drawn and calculated when he looked up. Finally, she shape shifted into an Arcanine, saying, "Let's go. I am teaching you how to use Extreme Speed."

Lucifer could say nothing to her—she was the leader of this ridiculous journey. In short, he found himself knowing seven moves in all with the addition of Extreme Speed—Bone Rush, Mega Punch, Force Palm, Close Combat, Quick Guard, and Feint. With Extreme Speed, he was able to keep up with Mew easily as they tore across the continent. Passing through first Mauville City, then Fortree City, they made it to Lilycove in record time, only a few days because their Extreme Speeds were so fast.

Against his will, Mew turned them both into humans again. Splashing his face with water from a creek, Lucifer scowled—and that awful blue hair that Mew protested she could do nothing about.

"Hmm . . ." He ignored her as she switched his outfit several times, finally settling with a pair of kaki shorts, converse shoes, and a polo. He frowned at his reflection, finding that he didn't like what he wore.

"So," he started, and then blinked twice when he got a good look at Mew. She wore a pair of sandals, a pretty pink skirt with intricate designs on it, and a matching pink top that exposed her midriff. He swallowed, and started again. "So, what am I going to do while you take these . . . belly dancing classes?"

Mew leaned over to look at her reflection in the water, fiddling here and there with her outfit. "Well . . ." After a moment or two more, she knelt next to Lucifer, saying, "Well, you can practice using your aura!"

Lucifer resisted a groan—if anything, that was the last thing he wanted to do. "And how am I supposed to do that?" he asked roughly, crossing his arms.

"You can attack as well as defend with the aura itself," Mew said. "Look." Lucifer watched as a bright glow came from her hands—her aura. "I'm propelling it out of my body, using my hands as a more direct approach so it doesn't go everywhere." She waved her hands around, letting him see her aura easily—anyone could see her aura like this when she forced it out of her body. "Lucifer," she said, "using your aura like this isn't just like a normal pokemon attack—using your aura to attack someone is dangerous, because it inflicts different kinds of damage."

Lucifer frowned. "So . . . If you hit me while your hands were charged with the aura instead of something like Force Palm, you're telling me I would get very hurt?"

"Most likely," she said, letting go of the power. "It can rip through body parts if it is too strong, but you CAN use it to fight like that. Most people just don't though."

Lucifer nodded, looking down on his hands. "I see."

"And also, this:" and she threw up a shield made out of her aura, bright blue and impenetrable. "A shield as the most simple of things—nothing can penetrate it unless it breaks because you can't hold it up any longer. No pokemon attack can get through—well, maybe Feint—no bullets make it through, not even explosions—just so long as you keep holding it strong." Then, she scooted closer, taking his hands.

"Close your eyes," she told Lucifer, and he obliged. "What do you see with your aura?"

It was just like in the hot spring tub. He swallowed, saying, "Everything."

"Most everything," Mew replied candidly. "But your aura comes from deep within you," and Lucifer jumped slightly when he felt something tug deep in his chest, "somewhere about here. That's the approximate spot for pokemon in general. You've got to summon it from there, let it flow strong. Work with it—your aura is a blessing, especially when you learn to use it well."

Lucifer looked down at Mew's beautiful aura again. It seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. "And how will knowing this help with my vision and battling?"

He felt her hit his head, and he gritted his teeth in annoyance. "It helps with everything! If you know where your aura is, it is much easier to channel. You can let it flow through your entire body, focus it through your hands and feet as you attack, focus it in your eyes to see farther and clearer, and throw it out of you to create shields—if you get especially good at it, you can read people's minds."

Lucifer shot her a glance. "So that was how you knew what bathing suit I wanted you in—you read my mind."

Mew shrugged, untroubled. "Well, of course I did! You weren't saying anything, and I wanted to know what your thoughts were."

He set his jaw, letting go of his aura and looking at her. "Stay out of my head from now on."

"Sure thing," she said flippantly, standing up.

"Mew, wait—you said I could attack with my aura?"

Mew rolled her eyes. "That's what I just said, was it not?" She grabbed his hand again, putting her palm on the back of his hand, and made his palm face outward. Lucifer felt a surge of power channel through him and it erupted out of his palm, sending a blast of blue energy flying out, bigger than a bowling ball and more powerful, and hitting the ground so hard it left a crater.

Lucifer gasped, and Mew released her touch on him. "See?" she asked again. "That's just the least of things you can do. So! While I learn to belly dance, you can practice with your aura." She sent him a sly glance. "And also practice your meditating . . ."

He started at his palm for a long moment, and then he finally looked up at her. "Sure thing," he said.

* * *

><p>She wasn't supposed to be contacting him yet, but . . . This was a special case. One she was sure her boss would be fine with knowing.<p>

"Calling headquarters," she said into the walkie-talkie. "Rocket Headquarters, answer me."

She pulled at the awful Team Aqua uniform she wore. "Rocket Grunt 343," a voice spoke irritated to her. "Why are you reporting back so soon? This had better be worth the time."

"It most certainly is," she replied snootily, watching the blond woman and blue-headed male head towards Lilycove City. "Get Giovanni on the line—I must speak with him."

A cynical laugh made her roll her eyes. "And why do you need to speak with Boss? Speak your piece before I hang up."

"I've located the legendary Mew."

Her lips pulled into a wry smile when it fell silent at the other end of the line. "And what makes you think you've found THE legendary Mew?"

"I'm sending you the data I retrieved from scanning her. You tell me if these numbers are correct."

The undercover Rocket Grunt waited smugly as the man over the comm checked out the details of her scan. "These can't be right . . ."

"They are," the grunt said as she looked down on the data herself. "I would tell you more of the situation, but this is top secret as you know—now put Giovanni on the line if you value your job."

The executive grumbled, but did as bidden. The Rocket Grunt let the two people go—she knew where they would be headed.

"Yes," she heard a short and hard voice say. "What is it? You say you've found Mew?"

"Yes, sir!" she said immediately. "Have you seen the data I sent in?"

"Yes," he said shortly again. "It is off the charts . . . But how can you be so sure?"

The Rocket Grunt drew back into the trees, hiding herself from sight. "I saw a Pichu transform into a human. What pokemon could possibly have the power to do that at will? A Ditto's eyes will always give it away because of the black beady eyes. A Zorua has to have a model to transform into." Giovanni didn't interrupt, so she kept on. "She is traveling with a Lucario—he used her name, calling her Mew even in her different form. I have no doubts."

There was a long silence. "Rocket Grunt 343 . . ." Giovanni said. "Why is she traveling with this . . . Lucario?"

"She seems to be training him," she responded immediately. "He cannot use his aura—I saw her demonstrate for him, as well as overhear her coaching him."

It was a bit longer before Giovanni responded. "Why did she transform into a human?"

"To take a belly dancing class," the grunt said instantly, trying not to sound as crazy as the words made her seem.

Giovanni paused. "Belly dancing?"

"Yes, sir! I saw the outfit and everything, heard her say it herself." When another long silence stretched, the grunt felt compelled to add more. "Sir, we have enough undercover agents in these parts to capture Mew—"

"No," he said shortly. "Do not acknowledge her presence until I send you reinforcements. She is too powerful for so few, and the undercover agents will not be found out by either Team Aqua OR Team Magma. I will send reinforcements immediately. Send me your coordinates.

"And make sure she stays in the area. I want her!"

* * *

><p>Lucifer sighed to himself as full contact with his aura slipped away again. Would it ever end? He could mediate in the middle of Mew's classes with no problem now—he was now adept at meditation because he had spent so much time on it. But as for the aura . . .<p>

It had been nearly a month now. A month, and he could finally see about the length of a football field. A month, and he could get little spurts of aura from his hands, nothing so big as to act enough of a shield to protect himself, barely enough to be considered an attack. It was a constant struggle he fought, and he finally gave it up, resting for once as he watched Mew in her class.

There were a total of five women and the teacher in the small class. All of them were Lebanese save for Mew, but they accepted her—and they liked her. He supposed that Mew's bubbly personality could entice anyone, and it certainly did on the women there. Mew was also learning their language of Arabic as much as she could on the way. Two of them were sisters.

Lucifer watched her as she danced with them. A song played, and he recognized it as La Tortura by Shakira, only because he had been sitting in the room as he worked with his aura. She was good now. She easily kept up with the other women though she had only been in the class for a month—and maybe it was because she pestered the teacher for many more lessons that were just one on one, but she had improved . . . and it caught his attention.

Lucifer watched them practice again, focused on Mew instead of the others. Her hips swayed well now compared to when she had first started, no longer jerky and out of place but curving as they were supposed to, enticing him. His eyes strayed over the exposed skin of her stomach, watching the way she did a belly roll, a heat spreading in his gut.

He shut his eyes quickly, taking a deep breath, knowing where such emotions led. He wasn't going there. He might find her attractive, but he was NOT going to do anything or fall farther for her ways any longer . . . But he found his eyes opening to see the delicious curve of her hips, and he couldn't help but be amazed at what she could do, eyes glued to the erotic dance.

Finally, furious at himself for being so weak, Lucifer got up and strode out of the class. When he left the building, taking a deep breath of fresh air, he felt a little better—he swallowed, and sat down on the ground. He would focus some more on his aura—he needed to be able to use it properly, and he was going to figure it out if it were the last thing he did!

"Lucifer?"

He nearly groaned at her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he sighed. "I just decided I would try to channel my aura in the silence."

"Oh! Okay, sorry, I'm leaving!" and he heard her go back indoors.

Lucifer sighed, and he walked off—she'd be back soon. Going off into the nearby forest, he found an old stump to sit on, relaxing, letting his shoulders slump some. Peace and quiet—probably the first he had had since he began this ridiculous journey with her had began. Lucifer sighed and reached out for his aura.

He frowned when he tried to touch it—somewhere around him, he was feeling that something was . . . off. Something was amiss, and he couldn't tell what it was. He strove to feel his aura—if he could, he would know instantly what was wrong because the aura was the living force of all pokemon—but it slipped and slinked from his touch again and again to no avail.

* * *

><p>Three helicopters approached Lilycove city, each filled with Team Rocket members. 009 stared out of the cockpit, a smug smirk making it to her face as she saw the little building.<p>

"Agent 009 reporting," she said into the comm. "Giovanni, our rendezvous point is coming into sight. The readings of our scan is high—Mew is in there."

"What about the Lucario?" he barked back.

"Our readings hold only that of Mew—there is no other pokemon in the building. The only ones there are some people it seems."

"Good," Giovanni said shortly. "The Lucario would only be a pain in our side. Get Mew, subdue her with force if need be, and bring her back to me alive."


	4. Chapter 4

Mew tilted her head back, drinking water with the other five women in the room, a small break to catch their breath, that was all—but one of the ladies smiled over at Mew.

"Rachel," she said to Mew, and Mew looked up at her. "Do you realize that Dexter likes you?"

Mew blinked wide. Lucifer? "He . . . what?"

They laughed, and she said, "I thought you would have seen it by now! Don't you know he's been sneaking glances at you?"

Mew just shrugged, trying to blow it off. "He always looks at me," she said nonchalantly. "Remember? We're Aura Guardians, and he just likes to look at my aura."

Another woman shook her head. "Believe me, honey, he's looking at more than just your aura."

That sent the women into another fit of giggles, making Mew blush deep. "I—I don't know what you're talking about," Mew protested, tossing her head and trying to seem as indifferent as possible. "Dexter is just my student, and I am just his teacher. That's all."

The first chuckled. "Yes, I'm absolutely SURE that's all he wants to be. What about you? Dexter is handsome—surely you haven't—"

"Of course not!" Mew squeaked. "I don't—"

A blast from above shook the building, making all the girls scream. The roof caved—and Mew reacted instantly, throwing up a shield made of her aura to protect the women and herself as the debris rained down.

For a split second, looking up through the crater in the ceiling, Mew stared at the three helicopters that hung low over the building, not quite comprehending the Rocket "R" that was glazed brightly on the hull. It was only when several grunts disembarked, dark type pokemon at the ready, that she snapped into action. Summoning her aura, Mew found Lucifer's, and contacted him, shouting loud.

* * *

><p>"Lucifer! Get your butt back here now!"<p>

Lucifer jerked with a yell, the voice too loud inside his head. After a moment, he jolted.

Mew—she was in trouble!

He nearly started to use Extreme Speed, but then realized that he wasn't a pokemon. Cursing his human form, Lucifer ran through the trees and back the way he came, only to skid to a halt at the building.

Three Team Rocket helicopters flew low, grunts starting to create a perimeter, dark type pokemon everywhere—he could see Houndoom and Houndour, Mightyena, Bisharp and Pawniard, tons of them everywhere—Mew was a psychic type—she needed his fighting skills to help ward them off!

Lucifer didn't hesitate in his charge even when he had no way to defend himself from the pokemon. When the first Rocket Grunt ordered him to leave, Lucifer grabbed his arm and twisted it harshly back, slamming his free hand against the back of the man's elbow, breaking it instantly. The man screamed in pain, and Lucifer charged closer to the door, stopping next as a Mightyena blocked his path. The dog lunged, and Lucifer kicked out with his foot, hitting the mutt in the jaw, and then he brought down both his hands near the neck—the dog buckled, and fell to the ground without moving.

Something blasted him into the sidewall, and Lucifer could only assume that it was a pokemon attack by the way his new body screamed in protest more than his Lucario form did. Turning around, he wrenched his body away from the Bisharp that advanced on him, the sharp blades of its hands he knew that would easily tear through his human flesh.

Lucifer tried to grasp at the aura—but it almost seemed even more slippery to his grasp as he struggled to keep a hold of it. And, in communing with his aura even a little, he was alerted to the attack coming his way.

Lucifer ducked to the ground at the last instant, a Dark Pulse sent flying past him and crashing into the Bisharp that advanced. The pokemon cringed and groaned, and Lucifer took the time to dive past one last grunt before sending a hard uppercut to the next, running inside the building.

"Mew!"

Mew, took a defensive stance in front of the women that cowered in their corner. If anything, she had to protect them. They had a wide array of dark types—Crawdaunt, Umbreon, Shiftry, Honchkrow, Drapion, Krookodile—the sheer numbers of them astounded her, filling the room up—and she could try almost any fighting type she could, but they were ready for that too with the wide array of types they had.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest, but she refused to back away an inch. "Who are you?" she shouted back up to the voice that had spoken over the intercom.

"All you need to know," the woman barked back, "is that Giovanni wishes for your capture. Come quietly, and we'll take you back in one piece. Fight us, and you might end up in several pieces."

Deciding to let the charade drop, Mew let her psychic powers go and transform back into a tiny pink feline, hissing up at her adversaries. They wouldn't take her—she wasn't the little girl she used to be! If she had only understood Mewtwo back when he needed her most—then she wouldn't have fought him. But now she did, and . . . and she had silently vowed to do this for him!

A bright Aura Sphere glowed at the tip of her tail, and she whipped it out, sending it crashing into Krookodile that roared, falling back. And then, it was a whirl of dark types, flying attacks, and defensive attacks as she strove to wreak as much havoc against them as possible.

Lucifer heard the fighting down the hall, and he pressed his back against the door to the room that held that fighting, struggling to catch his breath. He couldn't just barge in—he had the element of surprise still—

Lucifer jerked when a huge claw broke through the wooden door he was pressed against, and he jolted when he realized that it wasn't a claw—a pincer!

His hands grabbed them and tried to pull them apart, but the pincers drew steadily inwards around his neck, easily overworking his feeble human form. The Crawduant was going to crush his neck! Terror creeped in on Lucifer when the pincers sharp edges began to cut his skin, blood making his grip slick, and he could feel the blood slipping down his neck.

He pulled harder, knowing that if he didn't do something and soon, it would be the end of him. "MEW!"

The effect was instantaneous—his human form was lifted even though his wounds were still there, and his strength returned. Using the strength in his Lucario form, it still wasn't enough to pry apart the raw power of the Crawduant's pincers. Lucifer panicked on the inside, feeling his windpipe closing off because the pokemon was crushing his neck, and silently cursed his slick hands.

Slick hands—! Lucifer experimented wildly with his attack Feint, letting his hands and neck slide along the pinchers until he slipped beyond the edge of them, the pincer clenching at air. However, he had escaped, his attack had done nothing—failing—and he attacked in quick succession, slapping his hand against the door and letting off his strongest Force Palm. The attack sent both the door and the Crawduant soaring back, wood splintering everywhere, and Lucifer froze for half a second when he saw the room overrun with dark types, Mew backed into a corner.

Pouncing on the Rocket pokemon nearest to him, Lucifer unleashed a Mega Punch that pummeled it to the ground before striking it again with a Bone Rush that made sure it wouldn't get up. Tearing across the room to Mew, he took up arms next to her, warding off the rest of the dark types that attacked.

But, his eyes drew up—the Rocket ship! That was where they had her trap at the ready, where they would unleash it the instant she started to waver! Lucifer used an Extreme Speed, darting amongst the pokemon before leaping up high, a Bone Rush held high. The attack tore against the steel ship, and he attacked relentlessly, bashing the awful machine as much as possible, throwing his Bone Rush high at the propellers base. The attack struck sharp, mortally wounding the ship and sending it spiraling out of control. Lucifer yelled, hitting the ground hard in a roll. Proceeding to attack the other two ships with the same intense zeal, Lucifer managed to bring them both down in the same way.

Satisfied that their ships were down, Lucifer dashed back inside to Mew whom yet still attacked the dark types, the most ferocious he had ever seen her yet, and he jumped up, grabbing her out of the air.

"Lucifer!" she cried, wiggling. "What are you—"

Not waiting to hear her words, Lucifer took off running with an Extreme Speed, dodging under a cracking ball of energy that a woman with a black tulip threw at him. Running from the place, the precious bundle of pink kitten wrapped in his arms, Lucifer refused to stop. He ran away from Lilycove City, dashing all the way past the route to Mt. Pyre, turning back north to Fortree City, unwilling to stop for fear that Team Rocket was still somehow on their tail. The day gave way to night, and he still ran, rain pouring down on them as they drew closer to Fortree City.

"Lucifer! Lucifer, you've got to stop and rest!"

Slightly ignoring her, he prompted her to cry out again, "Lucifer, stop! You need to rest!" Running more, he wasn't expecting a Psychic to suddenly hold him immobile, hands forced apart to let Mew go.

"Mew!" he barked, "Let me go! Team Rocket—"

"Team Rocket is NOT behind us!" she cried out, curiously passionate. "They couldn't follow! You destroyed their helicopters! Lucifer, we're safe now!"

He locked his jaw. "All right," he conceded, "but you're hurt—I can get you to the Pokemon Center if you'd just—"

"Lucifer!" she cried out again, at wits end with everything. "Lucifer, you're hurt! You—you're BLEEDING!"

He blinked, seeing the blood that was on her pink fur, and he jumped slightly looking down on his own hands that still bled, the rivulets that had washed off his fur from his neck—he had forgotten. Now, with the reminder, he was aware that he was in pain, and he looked back at Mew who was beside herself with worry. He couldn't tell through the sheet of rain if there were tears in her eyes, and before she could say anything, he took a hold of his aura, looking at hers.

She was incredibly worried—it emanated from every vibe of her being, and he could see the waves of fear still ripple through her aura. But why? She herself had pointed out they were safe. Seeing embarrassment weave its way into her confused and flustered emotions, Lucifer let go of the aura, looking at Mew herself.

The blood was washing away from her fine fur, and he knelt, letting his hands rest limp on his thighs. "You wish to heal me," he stated from having read her aura. She rushed forward instantly, pressing her little paws on the wound. Despite the pain that sparked to life at the pressure, he heard her ask, "Wh-what happened?"

"A Crawdaunt got its pincers around my neck," he stated, watching as his skin wove back together. "How are you doing that?" he asked in turn.

She pressed her hands against his other palm. "A Heal Pulse," she answered, clearly focusing hard. "I manipulated it a little . . . well, a lot. It's not meant to be used like this, and I couldn't possibly use it on a large scale because it is so hard to do." Lucifer swallowed when he felt her paws on his neck, healing there too, her head just below his jaw. So close . . . And then she was gone, leaving his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

She looked away from him, transforming into a Zigzagoon. "And while I'm tired," Mew told him, starting to trot ahead, "I'm not hurt. Let's . . . Let's just head back to the Pokemon Center and rest up. Okay?"

Lucifer didn't pursue it. "All right . . ." He acquiesced to her request quietly, silently trying to unravel what had just happened. He—He hadn't imagined it. Mew cared for him deep in her, somewhere, to have that kind of agitation over his slight wounds. He pondered this fact. He pondered his beating heart—obviously, he cared about her too. Or was it just the adrenaline wearing off? Lucifer shook his head. No, either way, it wasn't going to happen. He was her student, nothing more, nothing less. And that was how it would stay. Besides, she was MEW!

He blinked when he saw Fortree City, and suddenly, he realized exactly how tired he was—the muscles in his legs burned with each step he took, and he relished in the thought of relaxing in the Pokecenter.

* * *

><p>Lucifer woke up staring at the ceiling of the Pokemon Center. Safe?<p>

He immediately reached out to Mew with the aura, and found her safe and sound—next to him?

Lucifer glanced over, startled to see that the little Zigzagoon was curled up next to him on the gurney-like bed with him. She blinked open her eyes immediately, ears perking up and sitting straight. "Good. You're finally awake."

He groaned, stretching as far as he could. "Yeah. How are you?"

"Fine, as I usually am." She stretched and yawned before shaking her head wildly like a dog. "So! How do YOU feel, Mr. I-Can-Run-For-Miles-And-Miles-Carrying-A-Pokemon-On-My-Back-While-Bleeding-Because-I'm-A-Freaking-Hero-Lucario-And-I-Freaking-Do-What-I-Want?"

Against his will, his lips twisted up. "Glad to see you think highly of me."

She scoffed and scowled, jumping off the bed while saying, "No, I don't. I think you are ridiculously stupid, suicidal, and last of all gutsy to the point of oblivious to danger, and it's going to get you killed one day." Lucifer sat up, rubbing his head slightly, feeling his tired muscles scream in response. He was exhausted. "And you know I can't have you dying on me, you have to escort me around."

He rolled his eyes, standing before falling into a deep stretch to loosen his taunt muscles. "Oh? I hardly think I'm you're escort—you drag me around creation and I'm just the poor pokemon you picked for the occasion."

"Cute," she said sarcastically, stretching her back legs out and arching her back. "You see now? THIS is what you are tagging along with me for. Because, though I am extremely strong, eventually a horde of many dark types such as that could take me down. Why have one extremely strong battler if he/she can be taken down by a mass of littler pokemon? I tell you, even I could be taken down if there were enough Caterpie in the world."

Lucifer rolled his eyes, rolling his shoulders. "Yes," he said just as sarcastically, "of course. It wouldn't matter if EVERY Caterpie in the world attacked you."

After a moment, Mew reconsidered. "All right, I concede the point to you. But you understand that sheer numbers will eventually overwhelm a person no matter how strong they are." She trotted up to the door, opening it with a small Psychic. "Come, Lucifer—we are going away from this place."

He followed behind her, secretly dreading having to run for such a long time, but his fears were groundless. "So, where will we go?"

The little Zigzagoon walked on. "I'm not quite sure yet. Let me think while we eat lunch."

Lucifer blinked, and as they came out from the hallway, was astounded to see that Mew was right, the sun was high and the Pokemon Center was busy. "We slept that long?" he stated in confusion.

"Yes," she said easily.

He did a double take at her. "What happened to getting up with the sun?"

The little Zigzagoon flicked her tail nonchalantly at him. "Oh, no reason. Mayhap because the sun itself was blocked in that room without windows. Yes, that's where I'll leave it."

Lucifer's heart warmed at her weak excuse, knowing that she had been tired, and even when she had woke up she had let him sleep. He ate sparingly, not inclined to stuff his face ever, and Mew scratched at her ear.

"I think we should go to Johto," Mew said, and she took another bite of her pokemon food thoughtfully. "There's no telling what we could do there, but I'm sure I'll think of something. Besides, we've got to train you some more!" And then, she perked up, jumping. "I've got it! Mt. Silver is the best place for training—We'll train there!"

Lucifer just shrugged. "Sure thing." He jumped up after Mew when she raced off again—she was so flighty and headstrong!—and ran out into the forest with her. "Mew, what will I be learning there?"

She halted suddenly, nearly making him step on her. "Stuff," she said shortly, transforming into a Pidgeot. "Hop on! We'll make it there by nightfall!"

* * *

><p>"Up! Up! Time to work!"<p>

Lucifer barely had time to blink before he felt someone lifting him up and then—BAM! Right in his face, he felt a fist hit him hard, the knuckles splitting his lip. Pissed off already, Lucifer barked, "Mew! What the hell did you do that for—!" He gave a shout as he found himself in a sudden review session, trying to ward off Mew's Infernape form, and he had to suddenly attack sleek and smooth, hardly even woke up.

It was only later, sweat pouring and temper on extreme edge, did Mew finally stop and allow Lucifer to suck in some heavily deserved breaths.

He didn't even ask what attacking him in his sleep was about—he lunged when she turned her back, hitting her as hard as he could with a Mega Punch. She grunted, flying several feet ahead, but landed gracefully, whipping around, eyes blazing.

"And what," she asked stiffly, "was that for?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Lucifer replied shortly, wiping the blood from his split lip. "You attacked first!"

"To make you understand that people WILL attack while we sleep! You have to be able to sense them before they get to you!"

"And I attacked you to make you understand to NEVER turn your back on your enemy!"

Mew shrieked, and Lucifer found himself at the brunt of her anger, her skills outshining his own—he could barely hold his own against the Infernape that doggedly attacked him.

Then, a blast of Psychic energy crashed into him, driving him into a tree at the base of Mt. Silver so hard that the breath was knocked from his lungs, head spinning dizzily. He didn't let Mew think she got the best of him though, standing and spitting a glob of blood her way.

"And that," she spat at him, quaking in anger, "is so you know never to underestimate your enemy! You knew what I truly was, so don't expect me to hold it easy on you!"

He gave her a mocking grin. "Of course not, Your Highness," he said, giving her a slight bow as well. "I know what you can do. Hit me again!" And he attack her, determined to at least make her feel something—he knew she was better, but didn't care. He wanted to make her get at least a taste of his fist!

But he found himself disposed of in record time—Lucifer screamed again as a massive Blast Burn tore past his defenses, collapsing to the ground. The pain was so intense . . . A hand hit the ground, half pushing himself up. He shook, unsure if he should pursue his anger or give up, but he hated the idea of giving in!

"Stop," he finally heard Mew pant, and he looked up through a haze of pain, seeing her transform into a Ghastly, floating away in the wind. "I won't go far, so don't worry."

Lucifer scowled, spitting another glob of blood her way. "So, not too worried about my blood this time, eh? It doesn't matter if you're the one drawing it?"

She flinched, coming back in one swift instant to get up in his face, red eyes blazing bright. "Don't you DARE tell me what matters to me!" she screamed at him, so passionate that it almost took him off guard. And then, she was gone, a small trail of gases from her Ghastly form all that was left of her.

Lucifer scowled, grumbling to himself as he tried to nurse his wounds. Water—he needed water. However, he found he barely had the strength to crawl, and—after some time of pointlessly fighting himself and struggling—fell limp on the ground, frustration broiling under his complexion.

He panted, feeling as if a rib had broken sometime in their heated fight, his lip still bleeding, nose bleeding, every inch of his body hurting, and he felt his left eye starting to swell shut—he had to admit, Mew had one hell of a right hook when you provoked her. His throat was so dry from yelling at her, and then in turn screaming from the attacks she had unleashed on him. He NEEDED water. He'd do anything for it. Parched, yet unable to move, Lucifer accepted what he had wrought on himself and laid flat on his back, squeezing his eyes shut to protect them from the bright sun.

Eventually, hunger was added to his list of afflictions, also the heat. Even more thirsty now, Lucifer struggled to lift his head, casting a glance about—not a berry in sight, no body of water nearby. And no clouds in the sky to bring the rain, or to even shield him from the sun.

Lucifer let his head drop back tiredly. He would bet that Mew was waiting on him to suck up and apologize to him. A slight scowl tried to warp his face. He wasn't about to give her the pleasure. He'd starve before he stooped that low.

Yet, as a few more hours passed as he laid helpless and hurt, Lucifer's anger burned out and he felt disgust rise in him—she was right. The enemy could attack at every time, and he had to be ready, whether he was awake or asleep.

Eventually, he heard soft steps. His ears twitched, but he could care less—maybe it was another pokemon to devour him thinking he was dead. He hadn't moved in hours—it was logical. The steps hesitated, then came closer, and a presence made itself clear to him. Lucifer didn't move, about fed up with the world and his sorry excuse for, well, everything.

Then, he heard something spray, something cold and wet hit his body—and the resounding effect of the medicine on his wounds made him yell again in pain.

Furious again, he kicked out at the trainer's feet, succeeding in knocking her down as he opened his eyes, snapping, "Stay the hell away from me!" Then, Lucifer had to blink twice seeing Mew flip her blond hair from her eyes.

"Talk about ungrateful," she muttered, but picked the Potion back up.

Lucifer stared at her for the space of an instant—she had turned into a human again to go and buy him a Potion somehow, knowing Oran Berries weren't native around the base of Mt. Silver.

"I don't want your help!" he hissed, trying to back away and only succeeding in making himself groan in pain, breaths coming faster.

"Stop being so stubborn," Mew said, crossing her arms. "You're hurt, and—"

"Thanks to you."

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to you!" she snapped, and then took a deep breath, calming herself. She leveled her eyes at him. "You are hurt, and are in no condition to argue. I will heal you whether or not you like it." This time, ready for the stinging pain of the Potion, Lucifer clenched his jaw tight and refused to cry out, arching painfully.

Mew continued speaking. "Sorry—I know it hurts. And that's probably pretty weak coming from me considering that I was the one that lost her temper and . . . Well, I mean, I'm sorry."

Lucifer gritted his teeth, hissing out a breath. "I lost my temper first," he managed as she continued her remedies—he could feel strength returning to him, but as he braced himself for the next wave, he didn't feel it. He opened his eyes, looking at Mew.

She held out a canteen to him. "Here. I don't even understand how you can manage to speak with a throat so dry."

If Lucifer could have drooled at the point, he would have. With her helping him to sit up, ribs still screaming somewhere in him, Lucifer drank greedily from the canteen, nearly downing it before Mew pulled it away from his lips. Resting against her, still exhausted though not in total complete pain anymore, Lucifer watched as she then reached into a pouch, pulling out a berry.

"Eat this."

The words were barely out of her mouth before he sank his teeth into the fruit, not quite sure what berry it was, only that it was a bit bitter to taste. He didn't care—it was the first thing he had eaten all day.

"And you're wrong," she said softly, touching his lip with her fingers—Lucifer's heart rate picked up, slamming against his broken rib as she healed his split lip and broken nose. "Your blood DOES bother me."

Lucifer swallowed, and he didn't pursue the point, afraid of the path it would lead down. How was she any different than his cruel trainer with her harsh training methods? She wasn't any different . . . Was she?

Instead, he managed, "I've got—I think you broke a rib."

"Hold on." Lucifer fixed his eyes on the ground, feeling when she touched his chest too—he was sure his hammering heart was giving him away. "Oh, jeez, I did . . ." He felt that peculiar Heal Pulse mend his rib back into place, and he felt himself breathe easier.

"I'm sorry," he heard her say again, and he sighed, leaning away from her and frowning at the ground.

Mew shifted positions, looking over at him. "You're still angry," she said.

Then he shook his head, making a face. "No, I'm not mad," he grumbled.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, with that tone, I can tell." He didn't respond to her, provoking her to nudge him. "Lucifer, what's wrong?"

He scowled, turning his face away in agitation. "You—you can't just—I hate myself!" And with those words, much more spilled out. "I—damn it, I'm—I'm completely—" He let out a frustrated growl when he couldn't even find the words. "What kind of Lucario can't even use his own aura? I'm a failure, and I ruin everything I touch—and my—my DAMNED temper that I can't control to save my own life, and my damned pride, and my attacking you, and—Argh, damn it, I just hate myself! I'm a failure just like he said!"

To his further shame, Lucifer felt frustrated tears making their way down his face, and there wasn't a thing to do to stop them.

After a moment, Mew said softly, "Your eye must be paining you," and he felt her fingers brush the sensitive, swelling eye to heal it.

Her words only made him even angrier, and he swatted away her hand, snapping, "Stop that already."

"Stop what?"

He turned his blazing eyes on her. "You know what!" he growled, fists clenching. "You and I both know that these tears aren't from my hurt eyes, I know you know that I'm crying!"

Her intelligent eyes collided with his. "I just thought . . . thought you would want to keep your pride."

Her words made something catch in his throat. Lucifer turned away, struggling to control his emotions, pressing his fists to his eyes.

He didn't catch Mew changing forms again, but he felt a paw touch his swollen eye gently, healing it instantly. Then, a Heal Pulse made a wave through the area, healing the rest of his minor wounds.

"Lucifer," he heard her say his name quietly. He refused to look up at her when he still couldn't stop the tears. "Who told you you were a failure?"

The words tore from deep within him. "My trainer."

"Have I ever told you that you were a failure?"

What did that matter? His own TRAINER told him this. "No," he stated thickly.

"And I never will. You've worked hard, you learn combat quickly, and though your progress with your aura is slow, that is what it is—progress. And, if you think about it, I am your trainer now, and I KNOW that you are not a failure. So nothing this other 'supposed' trainer says means anything." That lump in the back of his throat grew. Her voice finished quietly, "Forget what he said. Listen to what I am saying now—that you won't ever be a failure in my eyes."

Lucifer didn't trust himself to speak past what was growing in his throat. He was sure he'd end up crying again, and he hated crying—he felt weak when he did it. And he couldn't help but remember his old trainer saying that tears were weak and unacceptable, couldn't help but remember his punishing him when he was little.

He felt Mew's tiny nose nuzzle his forehead. "I think we won't do anything for the rest of the day. Let's just rest, let you regain your strength, and think about doing something tomorrow."

Lucifer swallowed. "Mew . . . Thank you."

And, even though he wasn't utilizing his aura, he still somehow felt her pleasure. "Of course. Anytime."


	5. Chapter 5

"Heads up!"

Lucifer opened an eye—and he shouted, trying to throw up a Quick Guard in time to protect himself, but the Searing Shot was aimed precise—he groaned when the attack hit hard, looking up just in time to see Mew transform from a Victini to a Medicham. Another sudden review session had Lucifer on the ropes most of the morning, and when Mew finally let up, he sighed, rolling his sore shoulders.

"If I would ever learn . . ."

"Nonsense," Mew said brightly, turning into a Pichu again, running up to the bush of Rawst berries. "You learn perfectly fine, so stop being so hard on yourself. How have you been doing with your aura?"

He stuck through a berry with a claw. "I can see a little over a football field's length. I can get little spurts of aura from my body."

Mew's little ears perked up. "Good! That's good!" Nibbling greedily on her Rawst berry, her little Pichu ear twitched in his direction. "I was thinking since we were here at the base of this mountain, it'd be a great time to learn some more fighting type styles, and I was thinking Meinfoo and Machamp. We'll start off with Machamp next, but first—today, we work on endurance again!"

Inwardly dreading what she had in mind, Lucifer heard her proclaim brightly, "We'll run to the top of Mt. Silver and down!" Resisting a groan, what he was fearing becoming true, he read between her lines—there would be no 'we' running up the mountain. It would be him with her on his back. And Mt. Silver was easily twice the size of the Jagged Pass up to Mt. Chimney. "Isn't that exciting?"

"Yes," he said a bit snarky, unable to hide it. "This is wonderful."

"You asked for it!" Blinking when Mew became a Geodude, he gave a slight groan, shaking his head. Mew hopped on his back however, weighing him down more as she proclaimed, "I'll be heavier since you gave me lip. Now up we go!"

Subjected to Mew's strenuous teachings again, Lucifer struggled up the giant mountain. After a week of this, Mew switched to teaching him a Machamp's style of fighting. It was Lucifer's hardest challenge yet—too strong to take on, Mew's Machamp arms collided with him so hard that Lucifer found himself collapsing early on in their training hours. The sheer strength in a Machamp was too much! Lucifer voiced his concerns to Mew, but she passed it over her shoulder, saying, "Pish posh! You can take on a Machamp!"

No, he couldn't. This fact remained in Lucifer's mind for the next two weeks as he took a beat down from Mew's Machamp form. Bordering on the 17th day, Lucifer found a powerful Submission throwing him into the ground so hard that he groaned out, lying defeated.

"Come on, get up! Let's do it again!"

Her voice was supportive, but bossy, and Lucifer frowned, sitting up with a groan. "Mew, I don't think—"

"Don't think what?"

He rolled his eyes—if she'd just let him speak without interrupting him! "I can't defeat a Machamp like you're asking me to. A Machamp is too big, too strong for me to attack head on like this—I might be strong, but I'll never have the muscles of a Machamp!"

Mew blinked at him for a second, wavering. Then, she laughed, picking him up in a giant hug that made his eyes widen.

"And you've passed the test!" she burst, setting him down with a smile. She transformed back into her little pink cat, touching her nose to his. An uncanny blush hit his cheeks. "That's exactly what I wanted you to see! No matter what, no matter how tough a Lucario can get, a Machamp's sheer strength will always take it down." Her blue eyes were pleased, and she flipped back to become a Machamp again. "That's good! Now, try to take me down in the way you know how!"

Lucifer took an aggressive stance, starting to circle her slowly—she followed. How to take her down? He eyed her four arms, realizing two facts: one, that those four arms could stop him and attack him if he ever tried to get close, and two, that they could block whatever long distance attacks he tried. Not that he had any long distance attacks—he wasn't proficient enough with his aura.

He started direct with a Mega Punch, Mew reacting with four Mega Punches of her own. Lucifer darted up, then switched to a Feint, slipping behind her in the blink of an eye as the attack failed, and he attacked from behind with a Close Combat. Mew hit the ground hard, but Lucifer anticipated her next move. Throwing up a Quick Guard, Lucifer managed to block a Mega Kick that came his way. Faster! He was managing to finally utilize the attack correctly.

Preying upon her with a Bone Rush, he managed to hit her hard before he was blown away again with a Focus Punch, crashing to the ground. Not even attacking this time, Lucifer swiped his feet out and tripped her when she came charging, using his perspective to get away and suck in a breath. Managing to get close again with another Feint, Lucifer hit her again with a Force Palm this time, trying to get her paralyzed. It failed to paralyze her, but he did take more damage before ducking away from her Karate Chop. Forced away, Mew used a High Jump Kick, and Lucifer dodged again, letting her hit the ground before he thought to retaliate with another Force Palm.

Fighting for another good hour, coming closer and closer to taking Mew down as the day stretched on, Lucifer was shown once again that she was supreme in strength and skill—a sudden Karate Chop sent him to the ground, and then a Low Kick on top of that. Lucifer tried to get up a Quick Guard in time, but her Hammer Arm was too fast, crashing down on top of him and driving him to his knees.

Lucifer gasped, spitting out a combination of spit and blood—must have bit his lip again. Or, no—that was his split lip. "I yield," he gasped, out, shaking in pain at the beating.

Mew seemed to hesitate, but then shrugged, saying, "All right, I guess that's enough—besides, you've got the point of this exercise anyway!" Switching cheerfully into a Ledian, Mew hovered off for food. Lucifer sighed to himself, rolling his sore shoulders before reaching out to his aura.

His emotions were excited—he could feel a broader range emanating from within, and he grasped at it gently. The aura for once yielded to him, letting him get a little of it in his grip. Heart rate quickening, Lucifer watched in amazement as his vision expanded more, from the little over a football field to over twice that much. Keeping a possessive grip on his aura, Lucifer let it form physically in his hands, feeling it pulse there. Going through a series of attacks, Lucifer felt awed in the fact that everything came so naturally to him now, stunned at the fact that he could feel the mountain Ponyta a mile off racing across the grounds, riveted that he could sense an Aipom in the trees nearby watching him, and overwhelmed in the fact that he was seeing so far, so clearly.

Sensing Mew behind him, Lucifer stopped, turning to her. Her aura seemed to blaze even brighter than he remembered, almost blinding to look at. Finally letting the little bit of aura go, he stared in amazement at her. She had six berries, one for each Ledian arm, but she was staring at him, knowing of his breakthrough.

"I think it's time we spent a little more time with your aura," she finally said, handing him one of the Rawst berries. He ate it in one bite before snagging another.

Mew nibbled on hers thoughtfully as she stared at him. A little self-conscious, Lucifer quirked an eyebrow at her. "What?"

She looked away quickly. "Nothing," she said, and he frowned, knowing something was up. Before he could pursue the point, however, she said, "We'll head to the Ruins of Alph next. We'll start by teaching you to read Unknown."

Lucifer cocked an eyebrow at her again, stunned at this. He grabbed another berry, taking a bite of it. "What for? How will reading Unknown help me with my aura?"

"Understanding, that's all," she said, finally finishing one and sinking her teeth into another berry. "With more knowledge, the easier it is to commune with your aura—you understand it better, if that makes sense."

He nodded. "Actually, it does." Taking the last berry that Mew shoved towards him, Lucifer held it between his fingers. Looking up to the setting sun, Lucifer asked, "When will we leave?"

"Tomorrow," she said lightly. Finishing her Rawst berry, Mew flew up into a tree, cuddling up in the boughs. "We can rest for tonight, you've worked hard. Be ready to run in the morning."

Lucifer nodded again. "Will do."

* * *

><p>They raced across Johto quickly, Mew disguised as a Pichu on Lucifer's shoulder. It was only two days before Lucifer managed to get them to Violet City, and they spent the night before heading the next early morning to the Ruins of Alph.<p>

They headed in (disguised as humans again to Lucifer's disgust), and Mew tugged him straight into the sights. Going down a ladder into a cave with her, it was faintly lit. Mew shined her flashlight—where had she gotten it?—right against the wall. Lucifer stared at the glyphs on the wall, uncomprehending.

"These are Unknown symbols," she told him, tracing her fingers over the little pictures. "They have 28 derivatives; the full alphabet, plus an exclamation point and a question mark. The exclamation point and question mark are always easy to spot—not just because of their clear shape, but because they are the only Unknown who's eyes are half-closed. Lidded."

Mew pointed her flashlight the other way, pointing to the two marks. Catching on instantly at the sight of them, Lucifer nodded. "I understand."

"And Unknown are pokemon too, don't forget."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, I understand."

"Unknown possess several skills, such as the power to perceive the feelings of other creatures—human and pokemon alike." She elbowed him with a grin. "So don't forget. Oh! Also an interesting fact, Unknown communicate with each other over electromagnetic waves, but they can't use telepathy—don't ask why, I don't know. I've taught nearly every other pokemon how, but Unknown just can't do it for some reason!"

Lips twisting up at her slight tirade, Lucifer watched her bite her lip. "They're really timid little pokemon—they hardly ever go outside their own dimension. But besides being timid, they're very powerful in a group. Get them alone, and they're weak. All they can learn is the move Hidden Power—nothing more, nothing less." She paused again, wrinkling her nose. "Huh. They can read minds, which makes you think they could learn Mind Reader . . . Hm."

Lucifer waited patiently as she seemed to consider this, and finally he said again, "I understand."

She perked up. "Good! Now, reading Unknown is actually easy, its just reading it fluently that makes it a bit more of a challenge." She pointed to a different symbol on the wall illuminated by her flashlight. "What letter is that?"

He looked at it, what seemed to look like the letter "A", but an eye was embedded into the top, between where the lines intersected into a point. "It looks like an A."

"It is! Good! So you get it already." A bit puzzled, Lucifer looked over at her. She rolled her eyes, tucking her blond hair behind her ear. "You just omit the eyeball. It makes reading it a whole lot easier."

Stunned he had missed the most obvious fact of it, he blinked. "Right." It must have been so instinctive that he hadn't even thought about it.

Mew tapped her foot, the sounds reverberating and echoing in the dim tunnel. "Some are a bit trickier. 'H', 'O', and 'C'." She pointed to each letter in turn, and Lucifer nodded—each were similar, but not the same. "Just remember that the 'O' is hooked together all the way around the eye—there's no broken part." She moved her finger to the next. "A 'C' will always have one break near the bottom here, kinda turned several degrees from what an actual 'C' is, like it's on its side." Her finger pointed again. "An 'H' is broken at the top and bottom—they come close to connecting like the 'O', but they never will, so don't get it confused."

Lucifer—it was quite simple. "Of course. That makes sense."

"Well of course it does!" Lucifer couldn't help but roll his eyes that time, and he was lucky that she wasn't looking at him. "Okay, here's 'U' and 'W'. 'W' is the one with the spiky top over the eye—the 'U' is the one with the three links to the curved part beneath."

Lucifer nodded again, quietly taking in the foreign shapes.

" 'G' and 'Q' can actually be mixed up if you're not careful." Mew pointed to two more similar Unknown. "The reason you can get them mixed up is because for some reason, the Unknown 'G's are done a bit backwards—instead of the bottom curving to the left like normal, it's jagging the other way like a 'Q'. So, 'G' is backwards, and just remember that 'Q' looks like a key."

"Yes, I understand," Lucifer said, silently adding the letters to his growing collection. Most of the letters were too easy to even spend time on, like 'F' and 'E' and 'P' and 'N'.

Mew continued her lesson, pointing to two last shapes. "This one is 'B', and this one is 'V'. I've always hated these two—I think 'V' is done stupidly, but you won't hear me complain." Lucifer pressed his lips together as he looked at the similar shapes. One was a circle on top of the other, the latter circle an eye—the eye was on the top. This one was 'B'. The other was looped almost like a figure eight, the eye on the bottom—this was 'V'. "See how the 'V' is hooked together at the top? Stupid. If they just made it look like two little ears poking out, it would have been easy."

" 'B' has the eye on the top, 'V' has the eye on the bottom," Lucifer stated. Mew looked surprised, and then, she laughed.

"Good job, Lucifer! So perspective!" With another delighted laugh, Mew peeked around the halls, oddly deserted, and she grabbed his hand. "Hold on."

In the blink of an eye, Lucifer jumped when she Teleported them to a lower level. "Now!" she said brightly as Lucifer struggled to regain his scattered wits, "Read this!"

Lucifer frowned—the shapes of the Unknown were distracting to what they actually stood for. Struggling a bit, he recited, " 'Our words . . . shall remain here for . . . the ages. Our clan . . . engraved words—in this place.' "

"Pretty good for a first try," Mew congratulated him mildly, playing with the power switch of the flashlight. "See? The letters are a bit flashy so it's hard to focus, but it'll be easy once you really get the hang of it. Next!" She grabbed his hand again, teleporting them to a different secret chamber.

"Now," and she gestured to the next set of words. "What does that say?"

" 'Thus we shall . . . erect a pokemon—statue—outside. Our clan . . . created pokemon statue outside'."

"Exactly right! Okay, next!"

Lucifer immediately scanned the next one without prompting, determined to get it right without stumbling. While his words were a bit slow in coming, and still were said slowly, he didn't stutter over the words. " 'They possess great insight and refuse the outside world. They possess great power to sense with mind and reject outside'."

Mew teleported them again to yet another secluded chamber. This translation would be longer. Lucifer frowned as he thought back to all the different little symbols he wasn't especially familiar with. " 'We humans . . . must learn to walk in . . . harmony with them. We . . . depart for their sakes. We humans need to walk with them . . . we leave here for the sake of them'."

"Excellent-e!" Mew said giving him a ridiculous thumbs up. "That's exactly right! But you see now? I'm wanting you to read it fluently, not have any problems just rattling it off and translating and writing." She grabbed his hand again, making him jump when they were suddenly outside again—he flinched at the bright sun, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light.

Mew dragged him inside, and Lucifer found himself shoved down into a chair, paper and pencil thrust in front of him. "Here!" she said, taking her own pencil and an extra sheet of paper. She quickly drew the first five letters in their Unknown symbols, saying, "Mimic what you see on the paper. Don't hold you pencil like that—! There, hold it like that."

Unable to believe he was writing, Lucifer clumsily sketched the letters, struggling to hold the pencil steady. For two weeks he fought with this new ordeal—periodic training sessions thrown in, Mew didn't want him to lose his edge—and Lucifer found a new kind of tired. Exhaustion of the mind.

Though, Mew seemed to be lessening up more—she giggled and joked at his messy handwriting, making him practice and practice until it was flawless. Lucifer enjoyed their time at the Ruins of Alph, finding he liked to study the Unknown glyphs. Mew devised an original plan to help him read—by transforming into an Unknown and using Double Team, she was able to mix herself up and create new things for him to read.

And if that wasn't enough, Lucifer was surprised that when he next used his aura, he saw with more clarity than before. He could read Mew's emotions more clearly to her dismay, seeing the life living within the leaves of the trees. With his aura skill starting to finally bloom after months of traveling with Mew, she took a different advance with him.

"Lucifer, we're going to go to . . . Where should we go this time? Someplace new. Exciting! Adventurous!"

Lucifer silently rolled his eyes to himself, twirling the pencil in his human fingers. "If my preference is allowed, I would prefer nothing like a volcano."

"All right, no volcanoes." Mew ticked it off her list apparently, and Lucifer glanced up at her from beneath his eyelashes. She acquiesced to his request . . . easily. She leaned back in her chair, kicking her feet up on the table. Her heeled boots gave a clank against the top, and Lucifer almost thought she would break it she was so careless. She pulled her golden hair down from its ponytail, braiding it.

Lucifer watched her fingers deftly lace her hair together in the simple pattern. Her fingers were nimble, also hinting at her handwriting that was still more graceful than his could ever be. She always knew what she wanted—he anticipated that the next time he spoke she would voice idea of where to go instantly.

Instead, he held his silence, watching her foot tap to no beat of music whatsoever, saw the alluring way her eyelashes swooped low over her high cheekbones. She was never in a hurry, though she was always on the move, determined in whatever she did—sometimes he found himself jealous of that single-minded, driven mindset that he lacked. But, he would never admit that to Mew.

The faint drone of the humans faded into the background as Lucifer trailed his eyes over her human form, brows puckering as he looked at her. Yes, she had managed to pull through with the complete form of a human flawlessly—as she should, she was the mother of all pokemon, including Ditto and Zorua, making her a master of shape shifting. And to make things worse, she seemed to know what made humans tick—both he and she both were suspect to frequent admirers over their handsome faces and bodies. Worse still, Lucifer found himself possessive of her whenever another male came forward. Ditsy as ever, Mew eagerly threw herself into conversation with a stranger, and Lucifer was forced to take precautions for her.

Finally, when she quirked an impatient eyebrow at him, Lucifer started, "I think an open plain would be nicer compared to the terrain we've had—"

"We'll go to the sea!" she said brightly, sitting up and flipping open the Town Map she had. A bit smug at the thought that he had read her perfectly, Lucifer glanced down at the map to where she pointed. "We're going to go back to Hoenn—we're going to go to Pacifidlog Town. Get you swimming! Running and swimming gets you in shape the best—besides, swimming works your whole body!"

"Sure thing," he said easily, reclining back and taking another look down at his writing. The Unknown symbols had a strange way of seeming to stare back at him, but it was just because they had the eye in them.

Mew suddenly hopped up, leaning over the table with puckered brows. "And while we're there, we'll work your aura some more, getting serious with it—you've already made great progress!" She snatched up the Town Map and shoved it in her bag, wriggling all over with excitement. "Oh, I can't wait! Let's go, Dexter!"

Yanked out of his seat, Lucifer stumbled after Mew. He ran with her until she stopped them both short clear of people, and she transformed suddenly into a Pidgeot. "Hop on and let's go already!"

* * *

><p>Lap, after lap, after lap, after lap . . . after lap, after lap, after lap . . . .<p>

Mew finally gave the word that afternoon after hours of swimming 'round and 'round Pacifidlog Town, and Lucifer tiredly pulled himself on the floating docks of houses, gasping in air. He flopped down on his back, Mew a Swampert.

Still, she had picked a Swampert over any other water type pokemon because, as she said, she wanted a pokemon native to the region. Lucifer, however, knew better—she had picked it to use a super-effective Mud Shot at him whenever his guard was let down to exercise his Quick Guard.

"Lucifer, use your aura for me."

Sopping wet and tired, Lucifer heaved out, "Now?"

In response, a Mud Shot shocked him out of submission. Gasping in pain, Lucifer heard through his ringing ears, "No, I meant yesterday. Yes, now!"

Not even bothering to sit up, Lucifer reached out for it—and felt like he was reaching through a haze. Frowning, he tried harder, searching through the fuzzy cloud, the true place he needed to reach lost within the blurring vision. Struggling pointlessly, he reported, "It's so . . . vague. Blurry. I can't find . . . where to reach it."

Mew rested against the edge of the float. "Can you tell me why?"

He heaved a sigh, opening his eyes and glancing over at her. "It's because I'm so tired, isn't it?"

"Exactly right!" she burst happily, pleased from head to foot. "It's like there's a fog over your vision—this is pretty common when you want to use your aura in battle and you're already tired. But!" Mew jumped up next to him, nudging him into a sitting position. "To be able to grasp you aura and use it in an exhausted state will give you a—hm—an extra 'boost' of energy, per say."

"Like a second wind?" he asked. "I could sure use one right about now . . ."

"That's the point," she said easily stretching and rubbing her cheek on her shoulder. The sun beat down happily as she continued, "That means you can fight for twice as long with the support of the aura. The hard part is knowing your aura so well and knowing where to find it so well that you can do it subconsciously and not be distracted by that misty-fog thing that covers it up."

Closing his eyes, Lucifer tried again, reaching through the haze. It was like where he had first started, wandering through a fog without a sense of direction. Fighting against it, Lucifer noticed Mew's emotions that seemed particularly strong. Respecting her privacy, he let go of the aura suddenly to look at her.

"What is it?"

She blinked, coming back from wherever she had been. "It's nothing," she said quickly, dunking back into the ocean before he could assess her face. Lucifer leaned over the edge, and Mew peeked her Swampert head back above the lapping waves. "I think I should explain your aura to you more."

Taking a brash and daring gambit, Lucifer found himself leaning closer until he was almost nose to nose with her—she sank lower into the waves until he almost had his nose in the water. "How can you explain it more? I thought you said that only I could truly learn my aura."

"That's . . . true," she responded a bit breathlessly, stuttering some. Unnerved by him, she finally grabbed him suddenly, dunking him down into the ocean again with her.

"I think that calls for another lap around Pacifidlog Town," Mew ordered him as he resurfaced. She climbed leisurely up to land as Lucifer treaded water. "Yes, another lap, then we'll work with your aura some more. Hop to it, we don't have all day!"

Lucifer's lips twisted up—who knew? He had finally managed to make Mew nervous. Instead, he obediently began swimming again even though he was bone tired.

"Did you know? Detect is based on the ability of using your aura to sense the movements of others."

Lucifer glanced up from his concentration at Mew's voice. A week later of swimming and practicing with his aura and he still was unable to properly use an Aura Sphere. She had sensed his rising irritation and spoken to distract him—thankful to put his inability on the backburner for a minute, Lucifer welcomed the distraction.

"No, I didn't know that."

"Once again hinting at your ability with the aura—and I didn't even have to teach you that one!" Mew lounged comfortably on the docks, people always watching them with interest—they couldn't understand the pokemon dialect, but they always enjoyed watching them compete against each other. Without much excitement in the little town, they were easily entertained by Mew teaching Lucifer to use his aura.

She rolled on her back, stretching her Swampert form, sitting most unladylike with her legs and arms spread comfortably. "See that? That's called initiative. You hated me picking on you and beating you up, so you forced yourself to dodge and learn a new move to protect yourself—stuff like that is what I'm looking for."

Lucifer scratched the back of his ear. He wasn't sure how he had learned Detect—he had just . . . done it. Turning to her, he listened avidly.

"You can already use Force Palm," she continued easily, eyes closed to the bright sun, "so I don't know why it's so hard for you to use an Aura Sphere." She suddenly popped up, flipping over. "Okay, maybe I'm shooting too high again. Aura Sphere is a very concentrated aura move after all—let's start easier with something like Dark Pulse! Both Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse and Dragon Pulse all use the aura to execute the move—which is why most dragon type pokemon are better in tune with their aura because they can learn two of three. However," and she sent him a sly grin, "Lucario are especially gifted, able to learn all three. So! Let's get to work."

By the end of the week, Lucifer had learned the new move. By the end of a month in Pacifidlog Town, he had learned Dragon Pulse as well. Strengthening himself more and more, stunned at the sudden explosion of power he was getting, Lucifer learned quickly under Mew's instructions. Soon enough though, they were leaving Pacifidlog Town, Mew transforming into an Articuno again. When asked, Mew would only tell Lucifer that things were starting to heat up.

In ironic accordance with her words, things actually cooled down—and fast. Lucifer felt a chill in his bones from sitting on such a cold pokemon, but it only got worse as they left the heated tropics to heard farther and farther north—so far north that the temperature plummeted to below freezing, making Lucifer shake with chills.

More weeks passed in the cold vicinity of Snowpoint City. Lucifer trained hard under Mew's supervision in the freezing cold, honing his skills—here, he more and more used his aura. In the thick blizzards she had them battle in, the only way to keep his sights on her was to use his aura to pinpoint her location. Through this, he began to fight better with his aura in general, see better, sharper—though, he still struggled to launch a correct Aura Sphere.

Lucifer looked up at Mew who was currently stretching her Snover arms. She gave a sigh, body cracking explicitly with her stretches, and Lucifer squinted up at the bright sun—the way it reflected off the surface of the white snow hurt his eyes. In response, he had used his aura more and more, both in blinding blizzards and in blinding sunlight reflections.

"I'm tired, and it's cold up here. Let's go south!" Lucifer turned and looked at Mew, a bit surprised that they were so early—usually they spent longer than the mere two weeks, borderline three they had spent in the cold. He could only chalk it up to the fact that she must really not like the cold. Lucifer puzzled this to himself—she HAD liked the hot tub a lot, not to mention she had only taken them to hot volcanoes and sandstorms. He had originally assumed that the heat was to temper his steel weakness. Hm—Maybe it was both.

Mew transformed back into a Pidgeot, eyes alighting. "We'll head back to Kanto! Let's go to . . . Viridian City! That will be a good place to train. Lots of novice trainers around those parts."

Lucifer startled. "Novice? Why would novice trainers make a difference?" Mew had transformed into a human several times to pit him against skilled trainers, sometimes even gym leaders, but . . . greenhorn trainers?

"Yep! Of course!" When Lucifer blinked at her, she rolled her eyes. "Trust me, a good does of neophyte trainers is just what you need. I'll let you know when we get there!"

Lucifer just rolled his eyes and climbed on as she took off—it always saved him a lot of trouble in the long run if he didn't fight anything she said.


	6. Chapter 6

He was human . . . AGAIN.

Lucifer grumbled silently in his head, not daring to infuriate Mew unless he wanted another not-so-pleasant beat-down. Pulling on his white t-shirt, he wrinkled his nose at the jean shorts and tennis shoes. Humans—he scoffed—so strange.

Mew, clad in short white shorts, a pink tank top, a jean jacket, and bright pink converse, grabbed his hand and dragged him off down the street.

"This way!" she said brightly, golden ponytail dancing behind her head. Lucifer's shocking blue eyes swept perceptively across Viridian City. So many . . . weak trainers. Mew and he had had a practice battle beforehand (once again, royally whipped . . .) and she had berated him for it.

Mew had accused him of losing his touch. She said he was losing his focus on the basic. When he had questioned her on what she meant by the basics, he had gotten a quick Thunder from a tiny Pichu that had sent him on his knees. She had responded candidly with, "This is my exact point!"

He hadn't had the guts to ask what she meant by that.

So now, he found himself as a lousy human again as she dragged him off towards a couple cutesy looking trainers. Lucifer groaned on the inside—they were sheer novices. They barely had the dust of a journey on their specially bought tennis shoes, and they looked as if they were just a part of the city because their clothes were not worn thin from the climates.

"Hello!" she said extremely brightly again to Lucifer's chagrined. "My name is Tanya!"

Lucifer blinked. Since when had she switched names? Before she was Rachel, now she was—

"And this is Dexter!"

Out of all the—She gave herself a new name, but refused to give him a better name! Lucifer silently grumbled again at the thought of being called "Dexter" again, but he couldn't change it.

"Hi!" Lucifer eyed the little ten year old as much as the little boy did him. His eyes kept straying to his blue, blue hair. "My name is Tim!"

"And my name is Fred," the other said. He stared unabashedly at Lucifer's especially blue hair and eyes.

Lucifer wasn't adverse to being hostile. "Keep staring and I'll give you something to look at."

Mew slapped him instantly, and he scowled as she said, "Be nice! Actually," and she turned back to the kids that kept their eyes carefully trained away from Lucifer, "Dexter and I were wondering if you two would have a battle for us!"

"Really?" The two trainers were ecstatic of the idea. "Sure! We can do that!"

"Great!" Mew jumped up with a clap, saying, "I'll be the referee. Dexter, you sit over there and watch closely what they do. And Tim, Fred, pick your pokemon!"

Dexter rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm, sitting on a wayward bench. He watched as Tim and Fred avidly threw their pokemon to the field. One was a Rattata, the other, a Squirtle.

Lucifer watched them battle with mild interest, only really paying attention because he was sure Mew would knock him out if he didn't. The Rattata started with a straightforward Tackle attack, and the Squirtle deflected it with Withdraw. The Rattata switched to a Tail Whip, so the Squirtle attacked back with a Water Gun. To avoid being damaged, the Rattata dodged the attack before trying a Bite.

The Bite struck home, taking damage from the Squirtle. Panicked slightly, Tim shouted out for his Squirtle to dodge with Withdraw. Retreating into its shell, the Rattata then backed away to put space between them.

They both collided with Tackle. Squirtle attacked with Bubble, which the Rattata dodged, and then Rattata attacked again with that straightforward Tackle. Finally, the Squirtle fell.

"And the winner goes to Fred and his Rattata! Great battle you two!" Then, seeming to forget the two trainers, the flighty Mew grabbed Lucifer again, bursting, "Come on!" He stumbled after her. "I want to see what you learned!"

She brought him to a different route to the west, and he found himself transformed back into a Lucario. Mew, in turn, transformed into a Bellsprout. "Let's battle!"

What he learned? He wasn't sure he had learned anything! However, Mew started with a simple Vine Whip, and instead of letting her grab him, Lucifer dodged and used a powerful Dark Pulse—he was proud of learning moves that required the use of his aura.

At that, the little Bellsprout dodged, weaving backwards as she proclaimed, "Use only your aura based moves! And I'll only use Vine Whip, Acid, and Wrap!"

So, he had three moves to choose from, all attacking; Force Palm, a physical move, Detect, and Dragon Pulse and Dark Pulse, two special moves. Mew had three moves as well, all attacking; Vine Whip and Wrap, two physical, Growth, and Acid, a special move. Why had she picked such weak moves compared to a powerful Leaf Storm? Lucifer frowned—and what would she use that Acid for? It wouldn't affect him because of his steel type side . . .

Instead of dwelling on it, Lucifer attacked mightily with a Dragon Pulse, sending it just as basic to her as she had attacked at first. He watched her body twist and turn, dodging effectively again. Lucifer frowned—if only he could hit her!

She spat an Acid his way, so Lucifer ran through the ineffective attack with a Force Palm on the ready—only to have her smack him down with a Vine Whip. The attack stung, and he quickly used a Detect, expecting her to prey on him while he was down—instead, his attack failed as no attack came his way.

He stared at her Growth for half a second before rushing back into the fray, throwing a Dark Pulse her way before jumping up and preparing a Dragon Pulse. Mew used an Acid to stop the attack before he found his ankles grabbed with a tight Vine Whip. Lucifer let out a shout, his Dragon Pulse going wild before he found himself smashed into the ground. Growling, caught, he tried to ward her off with a Dark Pulse, but she dodged again easily and finally used her Wrap, catching him like a stuck pig.

Lucifer gritted his teeth. His arms were caught fast, and his palms were unwittingly faced towards his own body—he couldn't attack her. He tried to twist his palms the other way to manage to get his attack going the right way, but succeeded only in Mew tightening the Wrap painfully.

"Did you really pay attention?" she asked him conversationally.

He nearly groaned on the inside. Trust Mew to ask you hard questions in the middle of a dire situation. "Yes," he replied through a clenched jaw, "but I am unsure of what you wanted me to understand."

She sighed and tutted her tongue against her teeth. "Really? I was so sure you pick it up quickly. Okay, so, we'll take it step by step. Why did the Rattata win the match against the Squirtle?"

Lucifer fought to get loose, but it was impossible, so he had to succumb to her teachings while caught in a painful trap. He paused, truly thinking about it. "The Squirtle only managed to hit the Rattata once."

Mew made a vague sound in the back of her throat. The cool, autumn air was crisp as she then asked, "Okay. So, why am I kicking your butt?"

"Because I can't—" And then, it all fell into place for him. "Dodging."

"Exactly!" she burst. Lucifer had a sudden inkling that if he had answered wrong that Mew would have tightened the Wrap with each wrong answer. "And what else?"

He paused again, unsure of what she meant. "It . . ." He suddenly thought of the simple and weaker moves everyone had. He was the only one with strong and advanced moves.

"It doesn't matter what kind of powerful attacks you have," he stated, shifting a little from the uncomfortable position only to find he couldn't move. "You need tactics."

"Strategy! Yes! Kudos, Lucifer!" Mew finally let him go, and he gasped in much needed breaths when she did so. He leapt to his feet though, heaving in fresh air as he waited for her next attack.

"No need for that, but good job on keeping your offensive up." With a flash of psychic energy, Mew and Lucifer were both transformed into humans again. Lucifer followed her unconditionally when she began heading back towards Viridian City.

Mew did a little skip-hop as she ambled along. "This is exactly it—you needed to come back to the basics." She gave a dainty shrug. "I picked some of the weakest moves because I wanted to show you that it's the simple moves that really trip you up—literally!" She laughed as if she had made a joke before continuing. "My Vine Whip managed to mess up everything you did. Not to mention, you expected me to go all out into attacking like a crazed maniac, so you used Detect instead of watching what I was doing with my Growth."

Lucifer nodded. "Just like how when the Squirtle used Withdraw, the Rattata used Tail Whip to counter it."

"Precisely!" Mew congratulated him again. "That's exactly it! So, we'll start to practice more with adding some tactical devices to your flourishing power, and you'll only get stronger in the process. As for now . . . Let's go find something to do!"

* * *

><p>Something to do was an understatement—Mew, being the bright bit of sunshine she was, quickly made friends with several new humans who invited them to their family reunion they were having. Lucifer cursed his lucky stars. What a stroke of luck!<p>

It was by her adamant zeal to go that Lucifer found himself as a grumbling human, both he and Mew the only light-skinned ones of the bunch he could see. Not that he had anything against blacks, but they had the LOUDEST voices he had ever encountered, and he easily rivaled them with the noise an Exploud could make. (Really, they couldn't ever be so loud, but he was currently in such a sour taste that if a child offered him a lollipop, he would lick it and stick it in their hair without so much as the bat of an eye).

"Oh, we would love to come! Wouldn't we, Dexter?"

Mew turned to him expectantly, her conversation lost to Lucifer's ears. It didn't matter what he said—she would make him go to whatever this was even without his consent. He took the easy way out.

"Sure."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, don't be such a spoil-sport, Dexter. You're ruining the lively mood!"

Lucifer said nothing, staring at the little Hershey's Kisses on the table and confetti that decorated it. The night was young, kids still running in and out of the doors of the ballroom. Tonight was nothing but a large meal to get re-acquainted with family members they hadn't seen for ages. Lucifer was provided some amount of amusement whenever particular old women pinched the cheeks of kids, cackling, "Why, I remember when you popped out of your mama! You were only this big! I used to change your diapers, you know?" The looks on the kids faces were always horrific while still striving to be polite to their elders.

Yet, the festivities struck a hollow chord in Lucifer's heart, and he retreated into his solitary sulking. Why was he here? Obviously because of Mew, but besides that—he didn't belong here. He hated being around people who greeted each other as if long-lost friends even when they in reality barely knew each other. He hated how friendly they were to him even though he was clearly testy at the least.

So, he stayed livid. Lucifer refused to speak, only speaking when prodded by Mew, determined to mete out his distance to the others. The entire 'family' business bothered him, and he showed it by keeping his distance. He stood stiff in the long line for food (which was exceptional, there were some talented cooks among the huge family reunion), and ate without speaking; and finally, his standoffish nature took Mew to the limits of her patience.

As some playful 'announcements' and comments started up, Mew grabbed his wrist firmly. "Dexter, come with me."

Her grip and her tone of voice left no room for argument. Lucifer clenched his jaw in irritation as she dragged him out of the ballroom. There were only a couple of people outside of the room, but they were forgotten when Lucifer felt his gut drop and breathing come heavier at Mew's heated gaze. She crossed her arms, sat alluringly on one hip, and quirked an eyebrow that spoke silently of her annoyance and bewilderment.

"So, what's up?"

Lucifer scowled, not intending to get into something like this—especially when her short shorts were seeming shorter and her tight tank top was getting tighter. "It's nothing."

"Oh, please," she scoffed sarcastically. "If we weren't in a public place you know what would be coming for you." Anything intending to hurt him and put him back in his place—a slap, a punch, conflagrating flames—whatever suited her mood. "Now, fess up. What's bothering you tonight?"

His scowl deepened, and he swiped angrily at his annoying hair. "I said it's nothing! Just leave it be, I'm fine."

Mew grabbed his arm when he intended to stalk back to the people, jerking him back. "It's not nothing and you know it—and I know it too, especially when you talk back to me like this. Now, spit it out—or would you rather I just take a peek at your aura and see what's bothering you like that?"

Lucifer felt his eyes drawn to her pursed lips before he gave himself a mental shake. This was exactly what he liked about her—she could take his crap and dish back some of her own crap as well. She wasn't afraid to stand up to him and put him in his place—he loved how she was always in control, always unshakable, and always testing him to his limits.

He clenched his jaw tight, tensions boiling inside. "What do you think is bothering me?" he hissed at her, taking a menacing step forward, throwing an angry gesture to the ballroom doors. Promptly, a riotous laughter started to accentuate his next point. "That! Everything about it!"

Again, she didn't back down to his dominant challenge, whetting the flames of his passions more. Mew stared up into his blazing blue eyes, unblinking. "So? What about it? If you didn't want to come, you should have said something!"

"And would that have stopped you from dragging me along anyway?" he growled, taking another step forward—finally, Mew took a slight step back, narrowing her eyes as she put a little breathing distance between them. "You always get your way in the end—I would be forced to come anyway."

"You didn't answer me," she repeated. "What don't you like about the reunion?"

Furious, Lucifer found that he had trapped Mew against a wall because he wouldn't leave her alone. "All this—this 'family' business! These fools barely know each other, if not even know each other at all, and they act as if they are the best of friends!"

This time, Mew was just confused. She shrugged, saying, "So? They're family, of course they'll greet each other like that."

"What does it matter that they're FAMILY," he spat quietly at her, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he tried to restrain himself. Lucifer stepped forward again, and for once, Mew seemed to bend beneath him, shrinking a little—it felt good to have power over her for once, and he milked it for all it was worth. "They don't even know each other! How can they possibly trust, act like they care for complete strangers?"

Mew swallowed, pressing her lips together as he loomed over her. His shocking electric blue eyes pierced her eyes and filled her vision. "Because they're family, that's why? They're tied by blood, of course they're going to care for each other even if they don't necessarily know each other—that's what family is. What's so hard for you to understand?"

"The—The whole damnable concept of family itself!" he snarled, pinning her against the wall with his body, hands clamping down on her arms. A flush of heat filled Mew's cheeks, and she twisted under his grip. "I have no family, had no family, will have no family—this whole experience seems artificial and alien. I'm unfit to be here, and I don't belong here among people who know how to love and belong in a family."

Her lips trembled at his close proximity, but she still refused to back down from him, her own blue eyes keeping his eyes locked. Her defiance stroked a flame of passion in him. "Don't talk like that. You are perfectly all right to be here among everyone, it's just you being stubborn with that darned stoic nature of yours that that blasted trainer of yours drilled into your head that you're not worth anything."

Lucifer could barely restrain himself now, heat spreading in his stomach as he all but trembled from the burning inside him. Reflexively, his hands snaked around her body, a hand coming up to entangle itself ardently in her golden hair. The heated flush on her face dangerously tempted fate as his emotions ran even higher.

A shivering breath left her lips, so close to his own that he felt her breath on his face. "Lucifer," she whispered, finally trying to escape him—but it was too late. He had her—she was broken beneath HIS power, slipping up her speech by using his real name instead of his alias—Lucifer's heart rate quickened, and his breathing became labored. He was dominant right now—and there wasn't a damn thing Mew could do to stop him!

Unable to control himself any longer, Lucifer's lips plunged against hers in utter domination, making a little mewl catch in the back of her throat. He heard this, and the sound drove him over the edge; he deepened the heady kiss, claiming complete authority over Mew for once as she all but fell limp in his arms, hands plucking weakly at his shoulders. A faint brush of her fingers over his neck caused an involuntary shudder to run through him, and Lucifer had to gasp raggedly before ravenously taking her mouth again with his.

A loud, chorusing laughter ripped through Lucifer's senses. His focused wavered, and he became keenly aware of his hips grinding against Mew's and the crowd of people in the other room. He felt eyes on them—the few that weren't in the other room. And Lucifer felt like a bucket of cold water had been doused on him when the full realization of who he was kissing hit him.

Releasing her swiftly, Lucifer nearly caused Mew to swoon and collapse herself, unfit to stand on her own two feet after the heated kiss. He knelt in front of her, stammering in mortification, "I—I am sorry—I—That shouldn't have—I am sorry . . ."

Curse her! Just when he thought he had control, he realized he didn't—he had merely lost control over her, lost control in a kiss that he wanted to regret—and couldn't.

Finally, Mew was able to squat in front of him, casting glances to the people around—Lucifer clearly heard a woman compliment, "Whoo, she's got him on a tight leash! If only I could handle my man like that . . ."

"Dexter," she whispered furiously, "Get up. You're attracting attention!"

"I'm sorry," he repeated, barely believing what had just happened. "It won't happen again, I am sorry . . ."

"S-Sorry about what?"

Lucifer's heart slammed against his ribs. "I—That should not have happened, I am sorry!"

Mew, left in the dark, touched his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Yes, I gather, you're sorry, but why shouldn't this have happened?"

Lucifer trembled at her touch before jerking his head up. "You are my teacher!" However, he wasn't prepared to see her cheeks still thick with a blush, eyelids still slightly lidded, lips swollen, juicy, just begging to be kissed again—

Without any conscious thought, Lucifer found himself leaning forward quickly again, lips just a painful hairsbreadth apart before he caught himself. Tearing himself away, chest heaving, Lucifer squeezed his eyes shut tight to try to staunch the growing passions in him.

"Wh-What does being your teacher have to do with things?"

"You—" Lucifer shook his head vigorously, pleading, "You are my teacher! I am your student—such—" he stumbled over his words, "intimacies, do not develop in such a relationship! It—It was improper, I am sorry, it won't happen again, I swear!"

However, he didn't expect her to laugh softly and touch his cheek. He jerked back sharply, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Oh, please, calm down, stop freaking out already, it's fine."

"No, it's not—"

"Dexter," she said with amused patience, "It's fine. I promise. And it doesn't matter that I'm your teacher or not—that doesn't mean a thing." Lucifer felt his chest pained with suppressed passions, and he swallowed, licking his lips.

"But—"

"But what?"

A touch of annoyance invaded his conflicted emotions—still interrupting him! "You . . . You're . . ."

Finally, he opened his eyes to look back up at her. She was waiting expectantly, and his lips trembled before he shook his head, dropping it.

"I am not . . . worthy . . . to—"

"Oh, don't even pull that crap with me," she said with a scowl. "If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times, that—"

"No," he interrupted her quickly before she could berate him further. "It's just . . . It's just that . . . You—" Finally, he leaned forward intently, whispering barely audible, "You are MEW. THE Mew. The mother of all pokemon. I—I can't compete with that. I'm not even worth spending your time with . . ."

He dropped his eyes in shame. Lucifer felt Mew's gentle fingers take his jaw and lift his face back up to show him tender eyes. She kissed him softly before leaning forward to hug him tightly.

Lucifer stayed poised in indecision until his will caved again against Mew, and he wrapped his arms around her, a shuddering breath heaving deep within him.

"You silly little . . ." He felt her head shake against him. She kissed the side of his head. "You are SO melodramatic. It doesn't matter that I'm 'the mother of all pokemon'. Who cares? Not me. And I don't care if I'm your teacher or not."

Mew pulled back from him, coming back into sight with a tender but hugely amused smile. "Seriously, Dexter? All I care about is what I'm feeling for you." She suddenly blushed a light pink, avoiding his eyes. "Besides, I've never actually felt this way for anyone before . . . Just you. So think of yourself as privileged."

At her tiny, shy, but still somehow cocky confession, Lucifer blinked at her. Then, overcome with the need to let out all of his strain, a weak laugh spilled from his lips at her demure attempt to consol him. Hugging her again, he managed, "Thanks, Tanya."

It felt so strange not to call her by her real name. She smiled brightly at him, winking mischievously before saying, "You're welcome, DEXTER! Because, I just know you LOVE that name so much!"

It was on the tip of Lucifer's tongue to hotly deny—because they BOTH knew he hated the name—but she grabbed him by his wrist again, dragging him off once more. "Come on, we're missing everything! What if they say something important? Hurry up, and be quiet! She's talking!"

* * *

><p>"A wedding?"<p>

Lucifer blinked at Mew in the Pokemon Center room, watching as she grinned brightly, saying, "Yeah, of course! Didn't you hear me last night? I SAID we'd love to come, and you said, 'SURE,' so I ASSUMED—"

Lucifer rolled his eyes inwardly, muttering, "Yes, I understand that."

She held out both hands palm up, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head. "SO? I don't see why it took you by surprise then. Start listening to me!"

Mew spun back to the full-length mirror in the early morning, tapping her lips. Lucifer groaned on the inside, sitting on the bed—she was going to try on clothing. They could be here all day.

"I think I want to wear purple," she said, and she spun, letting a ballroom dress fall down to her ankles. "Purple is such a pretty color."

Lucifer watched with mild interest as she switched more and more colors and styles ranging from halter-tops to strapless, intricate designs flitting and warping across the multiple dresses as she debated. After a while, letting her have her fun, Lucifer asked, "What is the color scheme for the wedding?"

"They don't really have a color scheme," she said absently, changing her dress again. This one flared more as she spun, one arm bare and the other covered in a sleeve from shoulder to wrist. Several pretty designs decorated this scarlet one too before Lucifer spoke up.

"Mew, make it gold."

She blinked, a bit surprised, but obediently let the color flow down like golden rain. Lucifer debated, and shook his head at the plainness.

"Start the . . . flowy part of the dress here," and he got up and crossed the room to touch his hands just below her breasts. Mew colored slightly, but the flowing part of the dress fell to her ankles, accentuating her small waist. Lucifer eyed the dress critically. "Sleeves. Kind of . . . Bell-like sleeves, starting here," and he touched her upper arm. Mew followed instructions quietly, the dress coming together piece by piece.

He touched the flowy material of her sleeves, running his fingers from her wrists up to where they stopped at the upper arm. He swallowed, something stirring at his faint touches. "Here. A clear section that holds it, blue like your eyes, one of your pretty designs there . . ." He watched the new section color, tiny golden swirls spinning across it. Lucifer eyed the shape of the dress again.

"Don't have the straps around your neck, on your shoulders." The halter-top changed accordingly, and he shook his head at the V-neck collar. "Shape it like this," and Lucifer took the chance to run his finger across her chest, coming in close behind her. His hunger for her grew dangerously, and he wondered why she let him approach so predatorily to her. He heard Mew swallow, but the dress changed again.

"Faint blue sparkles through the dress . . ." Still, it wasn't right. Lucifer took both index fingers and slipped them beneath the straps of her dress. His fingers brushed her skin as he pulled up on them. "No straps . . ." he whispered softer, hoarser, watching as they dissipated to leave her shoulders bare. He ran his fingertips along her back and shoulders, sliding all the way up beneath her hair to her neck, breath turning leaden from the weight of hungering passion.

He could feel her goose bumps. "Hair in a high, loose bun on the back of your head . . ." Her golden hair lifted away to reveal those goose bumps. Lucifer felt himself draw closer. His breath was on her neck now, skin so tantalizingly close . . . "A few loose strands on each side of your face . . ."

She was perfect—he didn't even have to look. Lucifer's hands gripped one of her shoulders and the other beneath her jaw, around her neck. Breath wafting on her skin, Lucifer felt his mouth part lustily, and if given the chance, he was unsure whether he would have kissed her ravenously or bit her, tongue licking against her skin.

However, that would be if given the chance—Mew quickly slipped away before his lips could so much as brush her neck. Seeming to ignore his current state of mind and actions, Mew studied herself in the mirror appreciatively, only her words playing on what had just happened.

"Look at this, Lucifer, I tell you it's fine to pursue me, and you're hunting me!" Lucifer watched her flushed face as she said this, but she gave nothing away from her words. "Give you an inch, you take a mile—Guess that's the next lesson—what lesson were we on? 67? No, 68: Self-Control. That's your next lesson. Learn to control your passions please or else we'll never get anything done."

A quirk of a smile met his lips, and Lucifer took a deep breath to steady himself. Still, Mew smiled at her reflection, saying, "My! You sure know how to make a good dress though. I don't know why I bother—you should just always dress me, you do it so much better and in half the time."

Then, she surprised him further by spinning pertly on the ball of her foot, outfit changing once more. This time she wore a light blue summer dress, sunflowers decorating it, her flats the same with little bows on the toes. Her hair twisted back into a simple ponytail with a matching bow, and she turned with a bright grin.

"Come on—we're going to miss the carnival!"

Lucifer blinked, his own outfit changing to simple jean shorts, a plaid and button up shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. "What?"

"The carnival!" she groaned out loud, grabbing his hand and dragging him out the door. "Weren't you listening to anything at ALL last night? There's a fair here today, and we're all going to it!"

Lucifer followed her quick steps down the hallway. "Oh. Sure."

"Sure, sure, sure, sure . . . That's all you ever say . . ." He winced slightly at the bright sun, and Mew's words became apparent within the next few seconds. She turned them down the road, and he saw the Ferris wheel first. The tall, rotating wheel loomed in the distance, and Lucifer rolled his eyes inwardly as he had to step to keep up with Mew's brisk walk—she would be sure to drag him on that thing with her.

The closer they got, the louder it got—Lucifer wrinkled his nose. It was going to be very loud.

And, true to his thoughts, it was as loud as it could get—the hubbub of voices grated on his ears, but he didn't voice himself to Mew—she was sure to knock him.

"Wow! Look at this! This is going to be so much fun!" Mew turned this way and that, unsure of where she wanted to go first before apparently making a decision in the fall air. She grabbed his hand, bursting, "This way!" Lucifer, forced to follow, eyed the contraption she brought them up to—a sign gallantly portrayed "Test Your Strength!" and Lucifer inwardly snorted.

"Wow! Only 25 cents? We'll take a game!" It was then that Lucifer realized that Mew had a little jean purse with her, and she withdrew a quarter. Where did she get the money? There was no telling—he discarded the thought, not caring enough to ask.

"Here you go, Dexter!" His hand immediately closed around the mallet she passed to him, and she finished, "Three tries! Go for it!"

He cast a disinterested glance to the button he was to hit to ring the bell, but lifted the hammer—she wasn't going to let him do otherwise. Lucifer brought it up easily and hit the button. However, he didn't expect the puck to rise over halfway, but well under the bell.

"Don't hit it like that!" Mew cried, and several chuckles were given from the onlookers when she snatched it back. "Be a man! Put your back into it! Like this!" Lucifer blinked when she swung the mallet with twice the vigor and struck the lever with it. The bell rang out clear and promptly when she did this, and clapping was heard.

"Here, take it back and you hit that thing!"

She shoved the thing back in his hands so quickly that he almost dropped it again—she collected her prize, a great big teddy bear, and faced him when he hesitated. He scowled, and—using his irritation to his advantage—hit the button squarely and rang the bell as well. He declined the offer of a prize—to which Mew grabbed another fluffy bear—and they were headed on their way again, Lucifer swallowed by two giant bears in each arm.

"Tanya," he said in annoyance, hating to be put in the back as a pack mule, "When we start traveling, these won't be coming with us, will they?"

She stopped suddenly, turning back to him. "Oh my gosh—you're totally right. Um—I know! Go give those two bears to some kids and meet me at the Merry-Go-Round!" She gave a tiny squeal, wiggling as she proclaimed, "The Carousel! I'm so excited!"

Lucifer rolled his eyes, but did her bidding. After depositing the two giant bears on the giddy smiles of two unsuspecting kids, Lucifer met back with Mew at the Carousel. The kiddy, happy music assaulted his ears as they took their place in line.

"The Carousel!" she squealed again, so excited she could hardly stand still. She stood on the lower bar of the line's fence, getting a better look at it. "I've never been on a Carousel before. This is so exciting!" Then, catching sight of the crowning glory of it all, she pointed out the other way. "We have to ride the Ferris wheel next!"

Lucifer just stood quietly in line next to his over-energized teacher. She bounced in place like a child, thrilled to be at a carnival, and after what seemed to be a lengthy period of waiting, their turn to ride finally came.

In truth, Lucifer was glad—maybe she would calm down some. But, actually being on the ride only hyped her up more.

"Oh my gosh! I love this pony! And this one is so cute—but that one's so pretty!" Soon, Lucifer found he had followed Mew all the way around the Merry-Go-Round until she finally settled on the horse she wanted. Lucifer got on one without much thought, settling next to her.

She fastened the straps and widened her eyes at him. "Put your belt on! You don't want to fall off, do you?"

He inwardly rolled his eyes. It took you up and down . . . and in circles. He more thought a person would throw up than fall off. Either way, he buckled before she would do it for him, or worse, ask the man working the ride to check his belt.

Mew positively squealed with glee when the ride started, kicking the fake horse's flanks and shrieking, "Giddy'ap! Ride 'em cowboy!" Her antics followed through the whole ride. She far surpassed any of the younger kids who were animated as well, and Lucifer belatedly wondered how one person could be so excited about such a gentle ride.

Once off, she pulled him away quickly. "Come on! We have to get on the Ferris Wheel!"

To Lucifer's dismay, there was nothing much thrilling about this ride either. It just rotated them up and then back down. Mew, however, was completely ecstatic over the ride, pointing this way and that, proclaiming comically, "I can see my house from here!" and giving a shrieking laughter.

It took longer getting off than it actually did for the ride itself. Finally reaching the peak of the ride again as people disembarked, Mew looked over at him with wide eyes.

"Oh my gosh—this is when we're supposed to kiss!" Shocked, Lucifer looked over at her with wide eyes, and she gushed, "Yeah! The couple always kisses at the top of the Ferris Wheel!" In saying so, Lucifer just managed to catch her as she threw herself at him, kissing him full on the lips. Heart pounding, Lucifer's eyes bulged in surprise before she released his lips, giggling at his face as they descended down again. When they reached the bottom, Lucifer was still quite red in the face and momentarily embarrassed.

"Oh my gosh!" Mew squealed again, pointing wildly before taking off again. "The food! Cotton candy! Funnel cakes! Popcorn—I've got to eat it all!"

Lucifer let her indulge herself in the festivities, actually finding some enjoyment in watching her overreact to everything that came her way. They rode more rides, ate more food, played more games, winning or losing, before Mew finally had them ride the Ferris wheel yet AGAIN.

Though, Lucifer couldn't complain much about the Ferris wheel much—she DID kiss him every time they got to the top.

This time, they were already close to the top when people began to disembark. Lucifer cast his eyes leisurely about as he waited for what he knew was coming. He bypassed the tiny Spearow being chased by an angry Pidgeot, letting his eyes trail over the carnival below. The day was nearing an end—the sun would set soon, and—

Lucifer jerked his head back over when blazing yellow and purple ripped across his vision. That Pidgeot was attacking the Spearow! That was the least of his worries, however. Lucifer felt the chair tip a little as Mew saw the attack too. The Spearow dived through the Ferris wheel to escape the massive bird, and the Pidgeot—too big to slip through the bars, velocity too high to stop now—crashed its Giga Impact against the middle of the Ferris wheel.

People screamed. Lucifer gripped where the wobbly chair connected to the wheel, holding them steady as the metal screeched and grinded as it was torn to bits. The tall wheel tilted sickeningly to the side the Giga Impact had ruined. The Pidgeot screeched in fury, taking off after the tiny Spearow, disappearing.

Lucifer stared down in disbelief at the remains of the horizontal axis the wheel rotated on, the sheer weight of the wheel unable to hold itself up anymore. There were support towers on either side of the wheel to hold it upright, but there was a steady creak, a moaning crack starting to overpower one side as they slanted dangerously to the side, Mew pressed against him. Heart thumping, he felt fear coil in his chest.

Then, the screaming started.

Both Mew and Lucifer acted instantly—he didn't know how, they just did. Getting carefully out of the weaving chair, Lucifer used the spokes as leverage to pull himself up to the top chair with Mew. The two young sisters sat screaming, holding each other.

"Grab my hand!" he shouted to the one as Mew tried to coax the other closer. She stared in fear, and he scooted over until he was nearly right below her, shoulders just above her feet. "Get on!"

His angry voice pushed her into motion, especially as her sister scrambled onto Mew's back. She slipped on with a little shriek, and Lucifer began the long descent down. The Ferris wheel was huge! It had to be nearly a hundred feet high with 22 seats, and he cursed the height of it before remembering that some particular Ferris wheel's were well over two-hundred feet high.

People at the bottom were scrambling out of their seats—a boyfriend jumped down and tried to persuade his girlfriend to do the same, promising he would catch her. However, those too high to get down were screaming for help, and the carnival turned into complete havoc. People called 911 and mothers gathered their children, and the people running the fair tried to hold back and calm the masses reaching to the damaged wheel for their loved ones.

Jumping to the ground with Mew, Lucifer quickly let the girl off his back and let her run off, Mew doing the same. Going back up without another word, knowing they were racing the clock before gravity could pull the whole wheel down by snapping the support, he heard Mew shouting out orders.

"Get back, get back! We don't need any more weight on it, we'll handle this! Stay back, evacuate the area, it's going to fall soon! Get them out of here!"

Grabbing the first woman from the closest seat, he let her scramble on his back while Mew came around the other way to get her friend, uncaring of who she flashed in her summer dress.

Lucifer cursed their stroke of luck—he counted as each seat was cleared of their rides, each riding in twos. When they reached thirteen, something snapped inside the broken wheel, and it tilted crazily again, metal shrieking in pain as it just managed to hold them all up.

Heart slamming in terror against his chest, Lucifer let off the kid he held and started back up, barking at Mew, "We're running out of time!"

It seemed she thought the same because she didn't respond, lips clamped tightly.

The process was excruciatingly slow. Lucifer felt his breath coming faster and harder, muscles and lungs burning from the sheer effort he put into saving the innocents. Glad now for Mew's harsh training, he held up well—and she did too. Below them was nearly empty of people now, and Lucifer found he worked a little faster than Mew—he got ahead by one person. The metal groaned at a high pitch as it slowly leaned farther over—a little more, and that would be it.

Lucifer started back up as the teen ran off. Passing Mew as she neared the bottom, he barked, "I've got the last one!" Climbing back to the top, body shaking in exhaustion, he saw the girl white faced and holding back screams, oddly seeming to wait patiently for his return. Wiping his sweating hands on his shirt for a better grip, he let her hurry on. Lucifer started back down—and tragedy struck.

With a sharp snap, the metal beam holding the tilted Ferris wheel broke like a twig, nearly causing Lucifer to lose his grip. The girl on his back screamed shrilly as the great wheel began to plummet to the ground, and he gritted his teeth, swinging to the outside, the side that wouldn't hit the ground, and braced himself for impact.

The metal squealed with a high pitch, groaning low as Lucifer felt himself pitch into the spokes. The Ferris wheel slowed sharply before coming to a complete stop.

Heart pounding erratically in his chest, a girl's screams in his ears, Lucifer stared in wonder at the blue ward that prevented them from hitting the ground. He could see Mew, legs akimbo, hands splayed to the Ferris wheel as she held it up with the sheer power of her aura, eyes hard with determination. Staring at the beauty and power of her aura shield that held up the massive weight of the entire Ferris wheel, he heard her snap, "Move it! Move it!"

Lucifer crawled quickly across the top of the metal, spider-like as he moved as swiftly as he could. The girl on his back succumbed to terrified tears.

He met the side of the wheel, and he stared at the drop before shifting the girl off his back. Holding her tight, Lucifer jumped from the edge, the high drop making his stomach lurch. He hit the ground and rolled hard on his shoulder, cushioning the blow for the girl as he took the brunt of it with his own body. Nearby, the girl ran for her hovering mom and dad, and Lucifer turned to Mew just in time to see her drop the ward and drop into a fetal position.

"Mew!"

The crash of the Ferris wheel on the ground drowned out his voice, and he threw up his arms reflexively to protect his eyes from the gust of dirt from the ground. In sheer terror, Lucifer was ready to rush over to her crushed body—he had failed, he had failed, he had FAILED—his simple mission, just protect her, and he had FAILED—!

Lucifer grabbed the metal of the wheel, panicking as he saw Mew stand from in between the spokes, coughing, waving a hand at the dust. She . . . AILVE . . . ?

Heart slamming uncontrollably against his ribcage, Lucifer gripped the metal until his knuckles turned white. Control . . . Control . . . Lesson 68: Self-control, he had to keep control . . .

Mew climbed over, walking daintily on the metal over to him, but Lucifer was focusing on breathing evenly. Control . . . She stood in front of him, peering into his alarmed eyes. She put her hands on his, making him flinch as if he had touched a ghost.

"Come on, Dexter, calm down."

So coy, so smart-alecky, so calm—it irked Lucifer even as he struggled to catch his own breath. He felt a hand suddenly let go of the wheel to grab her jaw, fevered eyes focusing on her.

"I—I'm sorry, I thought—I had thought that—! I'm sorry, I failed, I failed . . ."

Her lips twitched. "Come on, Dexter. Give me some credit, I'm better than that. There was plenty of room for me not to get hit by the spokes. Now, calm down. Take a deep breath."

He followed her instructions, the breath shaky and thin. The setting sun cast a glowing aura around her golden hair, and he would have seized her in another passionate kiss if his ears weren't turned to a different sound.

People were clapping. Cheering. Crying. Lucifer turned around to where the crowd was gathering again, giving catcalls and cheers for their two heroes, and Lucifer and Mew suddenly found themselves drawn in as the center of attention. The rest of their night was spent trying to ward off the praise, spent in interviews with the police on what they saw happen, interviews with the press on who they were and what had happened, explaining that Mew was an aura guardian and Lucifer her apprentice to explain her aura ward. It was only later, pleading exhaustion that Lucifer and Mew finally made it back to the Pokemon Center in one piece.

"Lucifer."

He turned obediently at her quiet word. Mew leaned up on her tiptoes and put a little kiss on his lips, a soft and shy smile meeting her lips. Her eyes spoke more than her words.

"We were at the top of the Ferris wheel together again."

She turned, heading into her room with a quiet, "Sleep well . . ." And the door closed behind her, leaving Lucifer standing in the hallway.

It took all of his self-control not to follow her inside.


	7. Chapter 7

"Lucifer! Wake up! We've got training to do!"

He groaned, but rolled over immediately before sitting up. He rubbed his eyes to find he was dressed to hike again. He cast his eyes around for Mew, and didn't see her.

She poked her head back through the door. "Hurry up! You are so slow—"

She was gone again. Lucifer heaved a sigh, a bit tired, but he knew better than to cross Mew. Chasing after her, he nearly collided with her when she stopped just outside of the Pokemon Center doors.

She took a deep breath of the air. "Ah . . . So crisp! I love autumn!" Then, she was running again, forcing Lucifer to trail close least he lose her.

As they ran into some trees from the city, Mew burst, "This is far enough!" She transformed Lucifer back into a Lucario, changing herself back into her original form. The little pink cat giggled, long tail whipping about.

"Now, let's break fighting down into the basics again. Dodge my attacks." She cast him a coy grin, and Lucifer frowned—that never boded well.

A Water Pulse glowed at her tail, and she sent the attack to him. Lucifer ducked under it easily, keeping his eyes glued to her. Mew then threw a Confuse Ray his way. He dodged it. After a few more ridiculously easy throws, Mew upped the ante.

The attacks suddenly came fast and furious towards Lucifer, and he struggled to avoid them all. Dark Pulses crackled past his head as he flipped up on one paw so the Grass Knot wouldn't snag his ankles. Gritting his teeth, Lucifer fell back hard on his back when a Flamethrower shot right past him, glazing in his face. Rolling over to avoid what looked like an Ancient Power, Lucifer leapt to his feet just in time to miss Mew's Low Kick. Utilizing an Extreme Speed, he dashed away from her Focus Punch before an unsuspecting Shadow Punch came his way.

Going to a last resort, he intercepted it with a Force Palm, and the attack blew up. Before he knew it, a Grass Knot caught his ankles tight, and he couldn't do a thing before an Inferno completely threw him on his back, shuddering from the power behind it.

Ankles still caught, Lucifer started to sit up before a Tackle made him hit the ground again. He caught his breath when Mew prowled up his chest.

"You cheated," she said quietly. He knew she was talking about stopping that Shadow Punch with an attack—he was supposed to dodge. Mew crept up his chest until her nose touched his. Lucifer swallowed. "I don't like cheaters."

He didn't know what he expected from her, but she saucily moved past him, tail sliding up his neck before flicking his nose playfully. Heart pounding wildly, Lucifer stared at the sky a minute before he took a shuddering breath, turning around.

Lucifer let out a low grunt when an Electro Ball collided with him, knocking him flat on his back again. He groaned on the ground.

"Keep your guard up!" she chided him. "Let's do it again!"

Caught in a strenuous training session, Lucifer was unable to rest until a few hours later when she allowed lunch. He rolled a shoulder—more than once he had hit the ground hard to avoid something, and more than once had Mew managed to hit him hard.

Speed—it was a key factor, and she was pressuring him as if he weren't already fast enough—he supposed he wasn't if she still managed to hit him. Lucifer stretched again, loosening his taunt muscles.

A Lum berry hit his head. "So? How you feeling about this?"

"I feel—" Then, suddenly he sensed her attacking again, and he threw up a Quick Guard at the last second. The Shock Wave crashed against the ward, and Lucifer blinked at Mew.

She cast him a lop-sided grin, floating close. "You really are on your guard! Smart enough not to dodge, and finally got that Quick Guard up quickly!"

Lucifer sent her a wry grin, picking up the Lum berry and tossing it up. "Don't give me too much credit," he said truthfully. He caught the berry, glancing up at her. "I just realized I had no time to move and didn't want to get hit again."

She stared at him, floating mid-air with her berry before finally saying, "All right. I appreciate your honesty." Mew took another big bite of her berry, little cheeks puffing as a trickle of juice slipped down her jaw.

The chance was too good not to take. "Please excuse my forwardness," he said to her before stepping close. Before she had the chance to comprehend his actions, Lucifer licked the sweet juice from her jaw.

Mew gasped, then choked.

She flitted away instantly, ducking behind a tree as she choked on the mouthful of berry. Worried now, afraid he had been TOO forward, Lucifer asked quickly, "Mew? Are you all right?" He started to move towards her, he heard her words choke out through her hacking.

"I'm—I'm fine!" Lucifer's ears twitched as she was overcome with deep, wracking coughs again, but she didn't want him near. When the coughing began again with renewed intensity, Lucifer was compelled to speak again.

"Mew? Are you sure—"

"I'm fine!" she managed again. After a few more moments, she finally cleared her throat, coming back into sight. Her face was red, and Lucifer was unsure whether it was because of the choking or his actions.

She puckered her lips. Without speaking, she attacked with a Zap Cannon, but Lucifer ducked under it, electricity singing his fur. She frowned.

"Too good," she finally said with a sigh, heading back over to pick up her berry with her paws. "You're getting too good learning under me . . ."

Lucifer grunted, picking up his berry. He leaned his paw against the tree, spinning the berry between his fingers. "You don't have to hit me every time you get irritated with me."

Mew held the fruit, staring down at it. "Hm. Okay. Maybe." Then, her eyes lit up. She turned to him. "No! Of course I don't have to do that." She smiled suddenly, flipping so that she was right in front of his face again. Startled, Lucifer flinched back.

"Mew? What—"

"I don't have to do that at all."

Lucifer dropped his berry. He found himself backing away from Mew as she advanced, coming just a bit closer than he was ready for. He stumbled back into the tree, plopping on his bottom. Mew came closer, making him shrink into the ground.

"I think this works much better . . ." Lucifer's throat bobbed hard when she transformed into a Lucario as well. She ran her finger up the spike on his chest before putting both hands on either side of him, predator-like above him as she leaned in close. Her hot breath seared his lips.

She gave a chuckle, backing away suddenly and giving him breathing room. Lucifer all but gasped, for it was as if a heater on way too high had left him, and now he felt a chill.

Mew quirked an eyebrow at him saucily, saying, "I am such a bad kitty." She winked before leaning back down on all fours, prowling forward until her nose touched his again. "Me-ow," she whispered, stimulating all of Lucifer's hairs to stand on end.

Lucifer stayed frozen until Mew gave a gay laugh, flipping back and twisting in the air a bazillion times as she changed back into her cute little pink kitty form. "You are too fun to play with, Lucifer! To see that serious face of yours so—" She stopped in the middle of her sentence, falling into gales of laughter again.

His jaw snapped tight. Jerking to his feet at her playful taunts, Lucifer slowly tampered his temper—he had made her choke with his advances, she had made him embarrassed with her advances. They were even.

"All right," he said with irritation, "I think that's enough."

She huffed a sigh. A large pink bubble of psychic energy formed, and she began to bounce on it. "Oh, you are such a spoil-sport . . . Lighten up."

A powerful Psybeam popped her bubble, and she squeaked. Mew flipped around, knowing better, the feeling déjà vu as she turned to him, but Lucifer jolted into action, terrified for her safety.

"You little fool!"

The voice boomed out in fury, and Lucifer lunged in front of Mew, throwing up a Quick Guard. A powerful Shadow Ball crashed against the ward, and Lucifer started at the sight of this new pokemon.

He was furious, none to say the least, and he was tall—at least two foot taller than Lucifer was. He was powerfully built with a long, whipping tail, muscle covering him from head to foot. His hands had three round digits on the end of each appendage, accentuating his predator-like appearance, but that wasn't what struck the most fear into Lucifer. What terrified him most was the shocking and cold blue eyes, striking fear deep inside him.

Lucifer found himself thrown away quickly with a Psychic attack, and he crashed against a wayward tree, breath leaving his body in a gush. Mew dodged another Shadow Ball with wide eyes, and the pokemon bellowed, "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

He had no idea what type the hostile pokemon was, but he bore a striking resemblance to Mew herself, only male, wrathful, and deadly. Having no qualms about being a bit underhanded to protect Mew, Lucifer shot a powerful Dragon Pulse at the pokemon, striking him hard on his back. The being whipped around, blue eyes blazing.

Lucifer had to dodge around an assortment of fire attacks to get close, hitting the enemy with a Close Combat. However, his attack didn't even faze the pokemon, and a Mega Kick hit Lucifer in the gut so hard he almost threw up. Pitching to his knees, Lucifer felt a Fire Blast engulf him from head to foot, scorching hot and painful, and he screamed.

The pokemon turned his back on him, believing him bested. Lucifer changed tactics, figuring it a psychic type as his fighting attack had done near to nothing and it kept utilizing a powerful Psychic. Instead, Lucifer slapped both palms on his back, letting fire a mighty Dark Pulse.

The pokemon shrieked in hatred, turning to blast him into oblivion with a Brick Break, but Lucifer was already moving with an Extreme Speed. Lucifer's eye caught the foe using a Future Sight as he leapt off a tree truck and landed on the pokemon's shoulders. Knees gripping his head, Lucifer became more physical and threw the pokemon to the ground face-first. Knees on his chest, Lucifer didn't falter and struck the enemy across his face with a strong Mega Punch.

"Stop it! Stop, both of you, stop it!"

Lucifer gritted his teeth at Mew's order—there was no way to stop unless the pokemon would quit attacking her! A Psychic so powerful it ripped through the air threw Lucifer away into the ground, creating a crater. He groaned low but jumped back to his feet just in time to get a Bulldoze straight on. Thrown back again, Lucifer cried out in agony when another Fire Blast crippled him. The hunk of psychic energy from the Future Sight fell on his unsuspecting back, and Lucifer fell on his hands and knees, spittle dripping from his mouth.

"Mewtwo—wait!"

Lucifer ignored his pain, using an Extreme Speed again as he saw two Shadow Balls heading straight towards Mew. Lunging in front of her, he whipped out a Bone Rush and used it to deflect both attacks dramatically. Lucifer stayed with his legs spread for the next attack as the pokemon finally hesitated (though none worse for the wear), the Bone Rush balanced in his gripped fists. His body shook violently from the overpowering attacks, but he vowed not to let harm come to Mew.

The pokemon deliberated Lucifer a moment, intense blue eyes peering out at him. Two more incredibly powerful Shadow Balls crackled dangerously from the tips of his fingers, hands controlling the power with a graceful lethality Lucifer couldn't compare with. Heart slamming against his ribcage, Lucifer awaited the pokemon's next move.

He felt Mew's presence right behind his head. "Mewtwo, stop! Both of you, stop!"

Mewtwo. Lucifer felt a bell ring in the depths of his mind, something he had forgotten, or something he had dismissed as negligent. She had spoke of this pokemon once before, whether she meant to or not beyond Lucifer's perception, but he narrowed his eyes. The pokemon's blazing blue eyes calculated something intently before the Shadow Balls disappeared. He finally let his feet touch the ground as he let go of his power, blue eyes suddenly turning into a normal purple color.

Lucifer hesitated to drop his defense for Mew. This Mewtwo was powerful. Possibly as powerful as she was. Finally, he felt Mew smack the side of his head with her tail.

"Lucifer! You heard me, drop it, or I'll drop you!"

Gritting his teeth in irritation, Lucifer jerked out of his crouch, a fist gripping the Bone Rush tight. Keeping his eyes on Mewtwo in a silent threat, he let the attack disappear, but the hostility remain.

Finally, Mewtwo spoke again, reserved. "You have trained him well . . . Though he is surprisingly disobedient." His eyes removed themselves from Lucifer to look at Mew. "You are not the one to take such defiance."

Lucifer and Mew spoke at the same time.

"I can control him—"

"I am not a dog."

Lucifer cast a glance to Mew at the same time she sent him a glance. When Mewtwo spoke, his gaze snapped back to him. "On the contrary, your biology speaks differently."

"A jackal would be more appropriate," Lucifer told him just as evenly, struggling not to speak through his teeth.

Mewtwo's eyes flashed. "Out-spoken."

Lucifer felt Mew's weight settle on his shoulder, and he glanced over at the tiny Pichu. "Now that we're all finally speaking like civilized pokemon," she said, eyes glued to Mewtwo, "Can you tell me what had you in another rage?"

If the pokemon hadn't have been so still and unmoving before, Lucifer wouldn't have caught his slight flinch. "Mew," he growled at her, "I've loathed this petty expedition from the start. It is dangerous. You didn't heed my warning, and then Team Rocket attacks." Lucifer watched Mewtwo warily. Anger was rising in him quickly—and he wasn't sure he could put up with another brutal bout with him.

"And then you pull this careless stunt with that Ferris Wheel—" Mewtwo cut off shortly, hands clenching. "This paltry excursion has gone far enough. It ends here, Mew."

Caught silently in the middle of things, Lucifer sent his eyes over to Mew on his shoulder. One of her ears flicked, but she responded just as levelly as Lucifer expected.

"Oh, pish-posh, Mewtwo, stop worrying. I'm the mother of all pokemon! I can take care of myself. And besides," and he felt the ear closest to him pat his head, "I've got Lucifer here to protect me. And if he can ward you off like that, he's more than good enough to keep me safe." The little Pichu on his shoulder shrugged her own shoulder. "Besides, I'm training him, so he's only bound to get better—"

"I don't care," Mewtwo interrupted shortly. "Team Rocket is hunting you again. Did it ever occur to you that I've protected you from them many times over? That is why they have only managed to attack you once."

Mew's eyes locked with Mewtwo's for a long moment. Then, she gave a gay laugh, jumping off Lucifer's shoulder to flip forward and change back into her signature pink cat. Her little giggles like bells filled the air. "That's so cute of you, Mewtwo! But I know you—that's a lie. You wouldn't ever compromise you anonymous profile with them. You'd end up in more trouble than I would."

Lucifer studied them both. Mew was a bit more cheerful, cheerful in that slighted way of hers when she was uncertain, lying, or just plain compromising. And Mewtwo . . . Though he didn't deny her words, he had seemed oddly believable . . . It was nearly impossible to tell what the two were thinking.

"You doubt me?"

Mew got right up in his face, bringing her nose exceptionally close to his. "Yes. I do."

They stared down at each other for a long moment, each trying to tell who was lying and who was truthful until Mew finally sighed.

"Look, I'm fine Mewtwo. Stop worrying. I'm a big girl now, I've got my big girl pants on."

Mewtwo scowled. "I have troubles entrusting your safety to this pathetic excuse of a Lucario. An auraless Lucario might as well be a Machamp with no brawn. Worthless at best, and despicable for—"

Lucifer wouldn't stand for the insults. Closing his eyes and letting the aura flow from within with sudden alacrity, Lucifer stared at their auras through his. Both were alarmingly bright, but Mew's shone with that blinding happiness and energetic nature he was used to, so beautiful it hurt. Mewtwo's, however, was laced with the marks of suffering, things scarring him deep, and things that still haunted him to the very day. And Lucifer had a feeling that it was amplified so much by Mew's adventure.

Mewtwo's aura flickered and dimmed suddenly when he realized Lucifer was looking at him, hiding nearly everything effectively. Lucifer ignored his secretive nature, instead letting his aura flow from his hands, raising them forward.

"I am not auraless," he stated forcefully, slouching back down into a more aggressive stance. Surprise flickered through Mew. "And I will fight you with nothing but my aura to prove this. Do not insult my pride."

Then, Mew finally scoffed—but he could see her a bit worried about something she hid. "Please, let's not try to be all macho and MALE if you please. No one's going to be fighting anyone, now stop tempting him, Lucifer."

A muscle in Lucifer's jaw ticked—she was being just a BIT more bossy than usual, and it was starting to get to him.

"Now, Mewtwo. I am going to keep traveling. I am going to keep "fraternizing" with humans. I am still going to be Lucifer's teacher, and you are still not going to like it. But get over it. I have my freedoms just like you do."

When Mewtwo just set his jaw, staring at her, debating on saying something, Mew flitted up close to him. "Get over it. I'm not changing my mind."

He finally scowled, turning from her. "You are just stubborn."

"So are you. I'm telling you, you've just gotta get over it!"

Mewtwo teleported away with ease, disappearing from sight. Mew sighed, and Lucifer watched in stunned shock until he found his voice.

"Who was he?"

"Mewtwo?" Mew seemed surprised at the question, but Lucifer knew better—she avoided his question. "Why, that was Mewtwo."

"I know his name," Lucifer stated again, keeping himself standing even though his body hurt, "I want to know who he is. How did he get so powerful? Where did he come from? What type of pokemon is he? Certainly nothing normal that I've ever seen."

Mew sighed again, shaking her head. "No," she said, floating midair as she looked over to the sun in the sky. "He wouldn't want me to tell you. So I won't."

Lucifer scowled, crossing his arms. "Is he always so secretive?"

Her voice finally turned lighter. "Yep! Always has, always will be." She winked at Lucifer, then looked back to the sun. "Look at the time! If we don't hurry, we're going to miss the wedding! Come on!"

Lucifer took off running after her, transformed into a human sometime while they were talking. Now he remembered—she had mentioned Mewtwo's name the first day he had met her. Obviously, he was the one that had pressed her to get protection in the first place. Lucifer didn't like anything about the mysterious pokemon, and while he would keep his guard up against him, he couldn't fault Mewtwo—inadvertently through him, he had met Mew. She would have run off without protection, and because he had pressured her, she had eventually met Lucifer.

Grudgingly, Lucifer felt a certain amount of gratefulness to Mewtwo.

* * *

><p>"Get up."<p>

Mew yawned, blinked, then let her eyes focus in the middle of the night. She had recognized Mewtwo's demanding voice, and she took her time in getting up—just to annoy him some. He had no reason to come seeking her out in the middle of the night!

"What is it?" she said leisurely around a yawn. She sat up, stretching, and felt a strong hand grip around her wrist, yanking her out of the bed. Mew stiffened at how pushy he was until she got a good look at him.

He was . . . human. And, darn it, he was taller than her again! Mew's bare feet hit the cold tile as she stared up at his close proximity, head craned up to take a look at him. His face was hard, lined as one would figure it would be, but handsome. His hair, though, was a purple/silvery color, straight, long, falling without care to his shoulders. She thought he should have it pulled back into a tight ponytail—he would look better like that.

Mew thanked her lucky stars he had taken the time to don some clothes over himself. They were quite elaborate though, a white suit with purple cuffs. But what caught her eyes the most were his eyes, deep purple and seeming to positively glow in the dark with their power.

Mewtwo didn't say anything to Mew's extreme annoyance, simply dragging her from the Pokemon Center barefoot and out the door.

She followed him willingly for a bit as he took her towards the forest, promising herself that he was going to get it whenever they got to where they were going. She had an inward laugh at what they must look like to the other humans slipping out in the night together—humans could be so absurd sometimes!

The instant the trees enveloped them from sight, Mewtwo let go of his human façade. He turned around, purple eyes drawn.

When he failed to say anything, Mew sat on her hip, crossing her arms. "So? What is it? You obviously waked me up for something."

"The Lucario."

Mew rolled her eyes impatiently in the darkness, rubbing the bottom of her foot through the grass. It tickled her toes. "So? What about Lucifer? I'm not gonna read your mind, so you'll have to be a bit more specific than that."

Mewtwo was still taller than her when he was a pokemon. Mew quirked an impatient eyebrow at him.

Finally, he said, "You care for this Lucario, don't you?"

Mew hid a blush, hearing exactly what he was asking. Instead, she shrugged, saying a bit flippantly, "Well of course I do. I obviously care enough that I'm teaching him—"

Mewtwo grabbed her arm again. "Don't toy with me, Mew," he growled. His grip hurt—it was too tight. Mew felt her throat close off when Mewtwo's eyes blazed in her sight. "You love the fool, don't you?"

This time, she couldn't stop the heady blush that came to her cheeks. Mew was glad the night hid the deep color. "T-that's preposterous," she said, and she strove not to stutter. "I might be a little infatuated, but I'm certainly not—"

"I beg to disagree," Mewtwo said quietly. Mew tried to yank herself free of his grip, but it only served to tighten it. She couldn't get away from those lavender eyes that practically glowed in the darkness, those eyes that were picking apart her truth and lies. Like a certain Lucario was starting to do . . .

"You love him." Mewtwo's statement was bland. "I've never seen you like this before."

Mew set her jaw, glaring back at Mewtwo. "You're delusional. I am not in love."

"Do you want to know what told me this?" Mewtwo asked point-blank. He didn't give her the chance to respond. "You don't take disobedience," he said levelly, eyes narrowing. "I know this for a fact. Yet, you take it from him. And even worse, I can tell he loves you as well. What kind of male obeys a female, no matter how powerful, when he is so proud?"

Mew felt rare anger rising in her. She felt her psychic powers build inside her. "I trust you can take your accusations elsewhere, Mewtwo," she spat, struggling to free her arm from his grasp. "Let go. We have nothing to talk about."

He jerked her back when she tried to flounce off. "And I believe we do," he stated evenly. "We are related, after all—I believe I should know who this Lucario is that you've fallen in love with."

"We are not in love!"

"So you say." Mewtwo didn't even heed her words. "If you really aren't, tell it to my face."

Mew's eyes flashed. "Mewtwo, let go—"

"Say it."

Her jaw snapped shut, and she whirled on the tall pokemon. "Then, if we are in love, how come you're so jealous?"

Mewtwo recoiled before narrowing his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ha!" Mew pointed a finger at him, feeling better now that she had come out with a win. "See? You denied it just like I did! So you're just as bad at being a hypocrite, so stop giving me down the road—"

"I denied it just like you did," Mewtwo said slowly, deliberately. Mew flushed again, pulling on her arm—but she couldn't budge. His eyes peered at her. "So my words are true."

They couldn't be true—he was just a Lucario. He wasn't like a Shaymin, or a Celebi, or a—he was just a Lucario! Just some aura-challenged Lucario she had picked up to go with her—it was nothing on the scale of—No. Just . . . no. That wasn't right, it didn't happen like that, it hadn't happened like that.

"Let go of me," she finally said quietly.

Mewtwo hesitated, and then let her go. He turned to go, but stopped short, saying one last thing.

"I am jealous. I am . . . a multitude of depressing and scornful things, but it was a mere Lucario that could make you happy." He paused again. "Something I have never been able to do for anyone, much less you."

He teleported. "Mewtwo, wait!"

But he was gone.

Mew shuffled her bare feet in the grass. She turned, but stopped, looking towards the Pokemon Center lights in the distance. "Lucifer?"

There was no response, but she closed her eyes, looking instead with her aura. She scowled when she saw the curiosity of his aura hiding behind the bushes and trees.

His aura was always . . . an oddity at most. It was like at the core of his being she could see a tight bundle of impeccable energy, but all around it was the thickest of fogs she could see through. It dampened every aspect of his aura—it was no wonder he had troubles using it.

"Lucifer, get out here, I know you're there!"

There was a slight rustle, and the blue-haired human showed himself. His blue eyes literally glowed in the dark, smoldering with suppressed passion.

"Is it true?"

Of course, the first words off his lips . . . Mew pursed her lips, not wanting to talk about the situation now—not when she was so . . . Well, there was a word for what she was feeling, but she was so muddled up she couldn't think of it!

"Another time," she said, waving a hand. She walked passed him. "I'm tired, and—"

Lucifer grabbed her arm, whirling her around. Both his hands clamped down on her arms, impassioned eyes boring holes into her. "Is it true?" he repeated more ardent than before, voice rasping raw. His eyes were wide, eager, burning with something she wasn't ready for yet. She could hear his laboring breaths, hot breath so close to her lips . . .

She was rocking. No—Mew mentally checked herself. She was being carried. Carried—

Mew opened her eyes, staring up at Lucifer. "Lucifer? What . . ."

He looked down on her with soft eyes. "You fainted," he said quietly.

Mew blushed in mortification. She hurriedly scrambled from his arms, staggering before finding her balance. Fainted—she would never faint!

His hand grabbed hers. "Mew, wait—"

"Not now," she said quickly, then sighed, and shook her head. Softer, she said, "Not . . . Not now. Give me . . . I need . . . I don't feel very well. I think I just need some sleep."

Lucifer hesitated, and Mew's stomach did a strange flip-flop at his genuine eyes. That was what she liked so much about him. You could always read what he felt through his eyes. His blue eyes blazed with the need to know, and Mew felt her eyes trail over those impossibly blue eyes and hair. Such a powerful aura . . . and the day he could use it properly was starting to draw close.

He seemed curiously pained, but he knelt suddenly, kissing her hand. A swift blush met her cheeks, and Mew felt her heart beat doubly fast. "As you wish," he submitted to her quietly. Those electric blue eyes looked up from beneath sapphire eyelashes. "I will see you in the morning."

Mew retreated to her room. Closing the door, she slipped beneath the covers of the bed. She pulled nervously on her golden hair.

No . . . It couldn't be true. She couldn't be in love with him . . . But she could remember the way his eyes had passed over her so coveting that same night at the wedding that goose bumps had rose up on her skin. No, that was because the air conditioning was on. But what about the heat in her stomach at the desiring looks from across the table? No, hadn't some of the food had jalapenos in it?

What about passing out? It must just be after-effects of the Ferris Wheel incident. Besides, Mewtwo had gotten her all riled up with those insane accusations of his . . .

Mew swallowed, and she turned over. She couldn't think about this now. She was too incensed right now to think logically about it all. Instead, she cast a Sleep Powder over herself, promising she'd figure it all out in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

Lucifer watched Mew lay on the couch, toes tapping to an apparent music he couldn't hear. She sighed.  
>"I don't know where to go next," she finally murmured.<p>

Lucifer pulled at his clothing, hoping she would choose soon so that they could turn back into pokemon again. It was an out-of-body experience every time she did this to him. "A volcano?"

Her lips twisted up then. "Desperate to get away?" she said airily. She flopped on her stomach, golden hair sprawling about. "I guess . . . But we've been to a lot of volcanoes. I want something new."

He pressed his lips together. "An open field?"

"Boring."

"A cave."

"It's dark."

"Ice and snow?"

"Ew, I don't want to be cold."

Lucifer huffed. "Then what?"

She heaved another sigh. "I don't know."

Lucifer rolled his eyes in exasperation. "There's plenty of other kinds of dances you could learn. Pick one and let's just go."

Turning her face to the side, she scowled at him. "You are so bossy. Stop ordering me around."

"And you're not?"

Her lips pursed. "Fine. Touché."

He gave a strict nod before they lapsed back into silence. Finally, unnerved by not speaking and itching to get moving, Lucifer grumbled, "Pick something. You haven't learned how to tap yet, have you?"

She sighed. "I suppose not . . . I guess we could do that."

She sounded so enthused. Groaning to himself at her apparent lack of initiative, Lucifer dropped his head in his hands. "I don't care what you do. Do some ballroom dancing, I don't care, let's just move already. I'm tired of waiting around."

Mew's eyes flashed at him. "Then go run yourself to—" She stopped suddenly, blinking at him. "Ballroom?"

He didn't even glance up. "So?"

She paused. "Ballroom. Yes, yes, ballroom! I want to tango! That's exactly it! Great job, Dexter!"

Mew suddenly jumped up, grabbing him, and away they went. Chasing after her as she brought them away from Viridian City, she burst, "And I know exactly where to go! It's been so long since I've been home! Oh!" She suddenly stopped and turned, a wide grin dominating her face. "And we'll make it in time for the annual ball and competition! Dexter, this is great!" Lucifer blinked when she caught him up in a quick hug she was so excited before racing off again.

"Where are we going?" he asked her when the trees enveloped them. He could deduce they were headed north, but not much more.

"To Rota Town! Past Pewter City! Before Mt. Moon! The "hero of the year" festival is in a couple months!" Lucifer ran after her, still not quite understanding what was going on and what she was so excited about, but she was suddenly a mountainous Rapidash and he was a Lucario again. "Use nothing but your aura for eyes from now on!" He immediately snapped them shut, nearly blinding himself when he looked at Mew.

Her aura was extra-responsive in her excitement, pulsating brightly so that it was almost impossible to look at, just as it was impossible to look at the sun. Happiness ran through it, interweaving through her anticipation, but he could also see that she was planning many things behind the mask of her aura. Struck again with its beauty, Lucifer nearly tripped and sprawled across the ground.

"Stop looking at my aura and keep up!" Mew called back easily, knowing already what he had been daydreaming about. Gathering his bearings once again, Lucifer kept using his Extreme Speed to keep up with the sheer speed of her Rapidash form. If she used even a Quick Attack, he was sure he would lose her.

* * *

><p>Agent 009 trailed the Lucario and Mew closely. She accessed her communicator.<p>

"Giovanni, sir!" she stated clearly. "Mew and her guardian are headed north. I will follow and ascertain their location for the trap to be sprung."

"Very good," he said shortly back. "Our sensors have picked her up and we will keep a close surveillance on her. Do not fail me."

"Sir!" But, she hesitated to hang up. "Sir? Permission to speak?"

"What is it?"

The Black Tulip hesitated to question him, but it burned at her lips. "Are you sure trusting Hunter J is a good idea? How do you know she won't betray us?"

Giovanni grunted. "She has been promised a handsome price for her skills," he spat in impatience. "She can even have the trifling Lucario if she so wishes, just so long as I get Mew. On with your mission, agent."

"Sir!"

* * *

><p>Unfortunately for Lucifer, a tango required two.<p>

In all honesty . . . It wouldn't be that bad if he didn't have two left feet. Mew let the teacher drill him in their private lessons, and then after hard hours of dance, Mew would take him back outside to drill him even more. Lucifer found himself exhausted from dancing!

Though, the tango, being a very tangible dance, made Lucifer extremely nervous around Mew, more than he realized. He was more comfortable in the open embrace where he didn't have to touch her so much, but Mew much preferred the close embrace where her hips would be pressed firmly against his. Many times over, when it was just him and her, she tempted fate with this kind of dancing.

Then, after they got the basics (and after Lucifer started to lead Mew in the dance, not the other way around), it became even more suggestive. The teacher began to put together a dance for them, leading them in saucy twirls and sexy kicks. Lucifer began lifting Mew and flipping her, much to the teacher's delight. She called them natural protégés.

It didn't help for Mew to wear her tightly hugging black leotard with a slinky skirt that had a slit for her legs to move around in. And it didn't help that that slit was all the way up her hip. With how hard they practiced in and out of class, Mew became able to perform the kicks and sensual dips, and Lucifer was especially hesitant when the teacher asked for passion and for him to slide his hands up her body.

If that teacher wasn't careful, she might end up invoking a bit TOO much passion one day.

As it were, that was exactly what happened. It was evening, and Mew was once again making them work late as she faintly hummed the dance music in the back of her throat. She was no singer though—more than once she missed notes or hit them exceptionally sharp, but it was good enough to understand where they were in the music.

All alone for privacy within the woods, Lucifer grabbed Mew's arm, yanking her back to him as she hummed the lines of the music. She didn't even need to—he could hear the spicy music in his head when she lightly hit him, bending back as he leaned over her.

Then, they whipped back up and began the series of complicated steps, a risqué dance that led Lucifer down the path of temptation. They were nearly nose to nose they were so close. His breath came fast from the quick pace of the dance, and Mew was returning those same swift breaths. Lucifer's deep breaths let him smell her tantalizing scent.

When the music suddenly turned as it did, slowing with a drawn out violin note, Lucifer dipped Mew backwards over his thigh. The long note provided him with the chance to run his hands across her body—and this time, he didn't keep it to a minimum as in class. His palm and fingers laid flat and firm against her as he ran his hand up close to her breast and back down again before hitching his hand behind her knee. Lucifer clearly heard Mew gasp, notes of the music faltering.

"Tell me," he murmured to her, whipping her back into the dance. Together with her, she was forced to look into his eyes from the close proximity they shared. "Why have you not so much as let me kiss you after the run-in with Mewtwo?"

She didn't answer, blushing bright, trying to hum the music. Discarding what the teacher had taught them, Lucifer took the lead, and he yanked her back close. Their bodies fully pressed against each other in the imminent night. Mew's flush deepened to a wanton color, sending Lucifer's heart slamming in his chest.

"Is it because it is true?" he whispered, hands exploring her body hungrily. "You love me, don't you?" Out of sheer desperation for his answer, Lucifer forced himself to continue with the dance and put his desires on the backburner. Mew followed willingly as he plunged her body down again, grabbing her leg and twisting it around his hip. "Say it." Mew couldn't even keep the song melody anymore, simply striving to keep herself breathing.

Lucifer bent over her, his hand sliding up the tantalizingly soft skin of her thigh. His breathing turned ragged with amorous passion, and his nose skimmed across the tight clothing of her stomach.

"Say it, Mew," he whispered huskily, bringing her back up. Her eyelids were weighted with lust, and the flush on her cheeks was driving him over the edge. His hand slid up her bare thigh again and beneath the slit in her skirt. His teeth bit lightly on her neck as he strove to control the carnal desires rising quickly.

"Say it!" he gasped with burning want, hands gripping her tight. He balled his hand into a fist at the base of her neck, entangling his fingers in her hair. He was kissing her now, hungrily, uncontrolled and ardently. His hands were pulling at her clothes. She was whimpering, but she was responding so eagerly that it drove him over the edge.

With a wild gasp, they fell on the earthy ground in the dawning night. Her hands were not still. They returned his impassioned movements with just was much enthusiasm as her lips responded to him. Her hands slipped beneath his shirt, trailing over his muscled pectorals. Lucifer nearly moaned at the sexual feeling she evoked, his arousal amplifying ten-fold.

"Say it, Mew!" he cried out, unable to restrain himself from her any longer. Grinding his hips against hers, she arched beneath him, every inch of their bodies touching. Lucifer underestimated how quickly he could rip her clothes off, and he underestimated Mew's aggression, tearing his off as well.

The silky feel of her heated body against his drove him wild. "Say it, Mew," he moaned into her shoulder blade, hands touching places he had only dreamed of, mouth and tongue ravishing her body. "Say it, Mew! Oh, please, say it . . . !"

* * *

><p>Lucifer stirred in the cool morning to feel Mew's affectionate fingers plucking stray grass and fallen leaves of autumn from his hair.<p>

It was sweet and bitter torture. Lucifer lay perfectly still against her, wanting so much to speak but finding his throat closed off. She smelled so good . . . Fresh, like a spring breeze.

He was still on top, and he was afraid he was crushing her beneath his weight, but she showed no hint of discomfort. In fact, she seemed to like the heady weight of his body against her, and his sharp ears could hear the faint melody of their tango.

Mew was blissful, while he was still contemplating what had happened. The satiny feel of her naked body against him caused him to take a shuddering breath.

She hadn't said it.

Lucifer had been surprised at the raw sounds she could coax from his throat, as well as the mewling cries he had never heard her sound like before. He shivered at the thought of the intimacies of the night before, and it had nearly been perfect.

But she hadn't admitted it.

And she still had yet to. She had moved her hand from his hair to other parts of his body, fingers gently brushing the excess dirt, leaves, ferns, and twigs from his body leftover from their passions.

Lucifer sucked in a breath, turning his face in to nuzzle her neck. He didn't want to show her this kind of warmth. He wanted to retreat from her and never look back. He hated the fact that he loved her and she clearly didn't.

He had been so certain that if she hadn't admitted it in the midst of their love-making, she would have at least broken when they peaked. However, he was proven wrong. She did cry out his name without control. He could still feel the tingle of tiny little scratches all along his back that excited him still. In fact, Mew was tracing those scratches her fingernails had made when they tore across his skin, a stimulating touch.

"Why . . ."

He couldn't even bring himself to ask the full question. Just a faint plea . . . and he couldn't understand why she had responded so amorously if she didn't truly care. Was he just some toy for her? His hands tightened on her, and he hoped she didn't mistake it for passion.

"Because I'm a cat," she said lightly back. "Sorry. I really didn't mean to scratch you, but . . ."

"No," he whispered hoarsely. Unconsciously, Lucifer ground his hips against hers again at the mere thought, rasping, "That was . . . the best part . . ."

What he would give to repeat lovemaking of the night before! One fear held him back though, and he was appalled to find himself so weak as to not be able to resist nipping her neck slightly. He could feel the warmth of the sun rising on his bare back. A shuddering breath ran through his frame.

"Do you . . . really . . . I mean nothing to you?"

Mew froze beneath him.

Tormented at the thought, Lucifer lifted his head to stare into her eyes. Her breath caught, and her eyes seemed to drown at the sight of his. "Mew," he whispered with a raw voice, desperation suppressed, "Is it true? Do you, or do you not love me?"

Her eyes softened, and she wrapped her arms around him before she kissed him slowly. Lucifer moaned softly, torn between kissing her back and pulling away completely. Releasing his mouth just long enough, Mew shook her head and whispered.

"Of course I love you."

A tremor caught in the back of Lucifer's throat, and he trembled above her when she caught his lips in another tender kiss. With a low groan, Lucifer dragged her close as he ravished her lips, shivering at the tantalizing feel of her fingers sliding up his skin.

Finally able to drag his lips away from her, he gasped in a shaky breath. "You mean that?" He couldn't help but ask—he had been so afraid that she couldn't truly care . . . He had been afraid she didn't really care about him, just like how his trainer hadn't really cared.

Mew's sensual lips twitched in amusement. "Of course I do. Would I have wasted my time training you so much if I didn't?"

Still reeling with the thought that she loved him and trying to get over the trauma of what he had originally believed, Lucifer stammered, "But—I thought—I was begging you to say it, and you refused to say anything! Why?"

Mew bit her lip, turning her face from him. She sat up, and Lucifer backed up so she could. As she had done so sweetly for him, Lucifer began to pick the grass and leaves from her golden hair.

"I . . . was a bit afraid," she confessed softly, hands wringing in her lap. "I—With both you and Mewtwo both pinning me down about whether or not I loved you . . . I don't know, I just don't think I was ready to face it yet."

Lucifer brushed her thick golden locks from her neck. He pressed his face into her soft skin. "Afraid?"

A small laugh made her shoulders shake. "This was my first time falling in love. I just didn't expect it to be with some emotionally dependent, past consumed, irritating, temperamental, and aura-challenged Lucario."

Lucifer grunted in irritation at her summary of him, but didn't allow her that satisfaction. Instead, he just ran the tip of his tongue up her neck, making her shiver. "I'm not that bad."

"Certainly not," she said with a trembling voice.

Lucifer wrapped his arms around her, embracing her close. "Oh, Mew . . ." he sighed out, nuzzling her cheek. "I love you so much . . ." His fingers dug into her skin, tightening his grip. "So much it hurts . . ."

"Mmh . . ." Mew arched at his kissing ministrations to her neck, and Lucifer had to blink twice when a strange sound started. It was quiet, but distinct, and a smile turned up his lips.

"Mew . . . You're purring."

"Mmh . . ."

Lucifer chuckled, holding her close. They stayed that way for some time until it wasn't just Mew's throat purring—soon, he could hear her stomach.

She glanced down at the offending grumbling in distaste. "I guess we've got to eat," she said nonchalantly. "Oh well." She stood and tapped her finger before spinning. Her discarded clothes disappeared and were replaced with simple jeans and a sweatshirt. Looking down, Lucifer realized he was dressed similarly. "I guess I can tell you what else we're doing here."

Lucifer blinked, catching the berry she threw at him. "What else are we doing here?"

Mew smiled, leaning back against a tree. "Well, we're going to visit the Tree of Beginning. You might as well call it my habitat." She shrugged lightly, biting into her fruit. "Not to mention, we do share a symbiotic relationship—if either I or the tree gets sick, we both get sick." She licked her lips as Lucifer sat, drinking in the knowledge. "It feeds on sunlight."

Mew brushed her hair absently, frowning at how tousled it was. "In short, I'm going to take you on a slight history lesson with the time flowers. I'm going to let you see the story of one particular Lucario who saved my life with his aura."

Lucifer blinked when she suddenly turned into a Pichu, jumping on his shoulder. It was then he realized that he was a Lucario again. "And we'll still make it in time for the festival!"

"What festival?" he asked.

Her tail whacked the side of his head. "You'll find out later! Now, hop to it and run! We've wasted enough time lollygagging about today, so let's go!"


	9. Chapter 9

"This is where our story starts—Well, for you at least."

Lucifer stood outside a large and grand castle. Mew was still a cute Pichu on his shoulder, and she jumped down, leading him inside.

"Are we allowed in?"

"Of course," she said with a little flick of her tail. "I'm always welcome here. Now be quiet and listen!" Lucifer resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead following dutifully behind her despite the strange looks some people gave them.

"Now, it all started when Sir Riley gained his closest partner. That would be his Lucario. They were the best of buds, inseparable, really. The were the quickest, most talented, deadliest duo around!" Mew trotted, and Lucifer threw threatening glances to any trainer who eyed her cuteness too closely or started to pull out pokeballs. With one steely glare from Lucifer, they all retreated exceptionally quick.

"There was a great strife between two armies, dressed in mighty green and valiant red. They clashed in battle not far from the castle and the Tree of Beginning, and it seemed peace could not be reached before the palace was threatened to be overrun. Are you listening, Lucifer? Stop giving people death glares!"

She never ceased to surprise him with how she knew exactly what he was doing without ever looking at him. "I am listening," he grumbled.

"Good! Now, Queen Rin knew that she must share the same fate as her castle and its people. Sir Aaron left to find his Lucario out in the field amongst the danger, however, he cared too much for his faithful partner." Mew stopped in the middle of her walk down the castle halls, scratching her ear. "Sir Aaron told his Lucario that he was abandoning the palace and the Queen, and he threw down his scepter. Functioning much like a pokeball, the scepter encased Lucario in a bright and shining light, sealing him inside. Sir Aaron, however, proceeded to the Tree of Beginning alone, satisfied to know his friend would not try to stop him."

Mew paused, licked her paw a moment, then continued. "I was sick from the magnitude of the fighting outside, and it affected the Tree of Beginning too. However, Aaron flew on his Pidgeot to find me in the heart of the tree. He passed his aura to me, saving my life and the tree's life, and I was able to go through the restoration period. With this period, all the fighting stopped because they were all in awe at what was happening."

Mew trotted along again, and Lucifer followed, processing his thoughts about this. So, if Mew were dying, he could give her his aura and save her? The thought warmed him.

"However," Mew said slowly, "giving up one's aura comes with its price. Aaron died, turning into crystal in that room where he gave him his aura." It didn't matter—Lucifer's original thought remained the same, that he would willingly die for her. "That was why he sealed his Lucario inside his scepter and lied to him. He did not want his friend trying to stop him."

They entered a large hall. "So now, every year at Cameron Palace—where we're at—they celebrate with a festival to honor Sir Aaron's honorable actions, considering him the True Guardian of Aura."

She stood in front of a picture in the ballroom, and Lucifer stared up at the man in the picture. He held his staff high above his head, dramatic and imposing. His Lucario was with him. "I take it that is Sir Aaron," Lucifer stated.

"Yeah," the tiny Pichu next to him replied easily. "That's him." Then, Mew took him to the opposite side of the room. Lucifer had to blink twice as he stared at a painting of what looked to be a younger version of Sir Aaron—but no. There were distinct differences, Lucifer could see it now. They weren't the same person. Also, the same Lucario was actually in the background of this picture, but faded and spirit-like.

"This is where our story picks up," Mew said. "That is Ash Ketchum, and that is Sir Aaron's Lucario in the background. Ash won the festival's competition for who would be the Hero of the Year, and he was presented with a scepter—the same scepter that held Sir Aaron's Lucario captive."

Mew suddenly jumped up on a side table with decorations, looking him sharp in the eyes. "Now, listen up, this is where it gets interesting."

Lucifer set his jaw, refusing to roll his eyes. "Yes, Mew, I'm listening."

"Now, remember, Lucario knew nothing of Sir Aaron's motives—he thought he had betrayed him. So, when Ash got a hold of the staff, Lucario saw his aura. Luckily, for some reason, Ash's aura bore a remarkably close picture to Sir Aaron's. So close, in fact, that Lucario mistook him for his master."

Lucifer frowned. "What happened?"

"Lucario left the staff with a great flash of light, but he became extremely confused when he realized Ash wasn't his master. He was still in the past." Mew sighed. "The poor dear was nearly traumatized . . . Eventually they got it all worked out, but me," and she giggled a bit nervously. "I was young. A couple Weavile's attacked me in the castle, and I teleported myself away as well as a couple of pokemon that protected me. The two were a talking Meowth and Ash's Pikachu."

He grunted, leaning against the wall. "Why did you take them? Wasn't this trainer worried about his pokemon?"

Mew giggled a bit nervously again. "Well, yeah . . . But I wanted someone to play with. Anyway, Ash was determined to find his Pikachu again, so he set off with Lucario to find him. Only Lucario could lead him to me because," and she threw a wink to Lucifer, "only an aura can track me since I can make myself look like any pokemon."

"A handy trick . . ." Lucifer muttered wryly. "Seems you can trick into being human as well."

"Of course! I am pretty talented after all!" Mew giggled. "Actually, Lucario was a lot like you. He was consumed over his late master, and had that same sour attitude of, 'I don't have any friends, and I don't want any'!" Mew giggled again.

Lucifer swatted half-heartedly at her. "Whatever, just get on with the story."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, you little grump . . ." She ran off, and Lucifer followed. "Come on! This way!

"In short," she said, "Ash and Lucario traveled to the Tree of Beginning to find Pikachu, and through the use of time flowers, discovered what truly happened out on the battlefield. I'll let you see most of the events through the flowers—much more vivid than my talking!" Lucifer dodged around people when Mew's little Pichu form skittered between their legs. "But when they got there, there was this girl that tried to take a sample of the crystals in my tree, and my immune system reacted HORRIBLY. I got really sick with the tree as it consumed itself, coming close to dying again."

Lucifer lunged at her, grabbing her and making her face him. "Dying?" he repeated a bit breathlessly, more from the thought than the run.

Mew nodded, squirming out of his grip. "Yep! But no worries! I'll let you see the story with the time flowers." Mew jumped up on his shoulder. "Onward march," she said easily. "We've got places to go and things to see!"

Lucifer began walking, but had to way to know where she wanted to go. "Which path?"

"Eh, don't even take a path if you don't want to," she said with a shrug. She pointed. "Just get us to the Tree of Beginning!"

Just as he was about to run, he sensed it with his aura. Turning around quickly, Lucifer threw up a Quick Guard. The Fire Blast crashed against the ward.

Lucifer's eyes assessed the threat. It was a trainer, and she had a Charizard with her. She was young, had long blond hair, and her eyes were determined. With an attack like a Fire Blast, the strong attack was clearly meant for Lucifer and not Mew as a cute little Pichu.

However, he didn't care. Turning, he started to leave.

"No! Charizard, don't let it get away!"

Lucifer skidded short when the Charizard barred his way again. Lucifer snarled low, crouching into an attacking position. Mew evacuated his shoulder.

"That's right," the trainer said. "Now I'll catch a Lucario just like Sir Aaron had a Lucario!"

Lucifer's ears twitched as he heard several people whispering excitedly that the princess was going to battle again, the Queen's daughter was going to catch a Lucario. Then, he heard Mew.

"Hey! This time only use attacking moves! If you want to defend, use your aura as a shield, and keep your eyes shut! See through the aura only!"

"Right." Lucifer closed his eyes and channeled through to his aura—and jolted on the inside.

It was so precise, so clear! It had been a while since he had practiced hard with his aura, and he had expected it to be almost fuzzy, not enhanced! Heart pounding hard in his chest, Lucifer took in his surroundings with great detail, seeing farther than he had ever seen before. Sending a wild glanced over to Mew, he flinched back slightly at the sheer beauty and bright sparkling of her aura. A shaft of confusion went through her.

Absently, Lucifer held his palm up and channeled his aura into a shield. Another Fire Blast crashed into the ward, and, enthralled with the newfound power of his aura, Lucifer turned on the pokemon charging with a Steel Wing.

Using both hands, wrists close together, Lucifer shoved out the attack with all his might. He watched the Charizard's eyes widen in shock, and the newly acquired Aura Sphere crashed into it and sent it sprawling across the ground. The sheer power behind the blow made the Charizard whimper slightly before standing.

"No way! Charizard, use Smokescreen!"

Didn't know how the aura worked, did she? Lucifer dived right through with a Bone Rush on hand. Swinging hard, the attack sent the Charizard blasting out of the smoke. Not stopping, Lucifer attacked with an Extreme Speed and hurt the pokemon more before it could gather its bearings. Finally, another attack came his way, a Dragonbreath, but Lucifer cut through it with his Bone Rush. First using his Bone Rush to ward off a Steel Wing on the left and his foot to stop the other, Lucifer attack viciously once more. Slamming his Bone Rush against the Charizard's cheek, the pokemon fell over like a sack of potatoes, bested by the consecutive critical hits.

Without a second glance, Lucifer let his Bone Rush disappear. The princess was bemoaning her loss, unbelieving that he was so powerful, and he held out his arm. Mew immediately ran back up to sit on his shoulder, and people automatically cleared the way for them. Lucifer took off with an Extreme Speed to the Tree of Beginning.

* * *

><p>"My name is Faye," Mew told Lucifer hardly an hour later.<p>

She had changed her name again, and she had even changed her appearance. She was still of white skin, but had a cute little pug nose now. She was built slimmer and had less curves than normal, but still retained her blue eyes. However, her pink hair was stark against everything, just as long as her golden hair had been, only full of curls.

Lucifer frowned. He had been so sure that they would get to make this journey as pokemon again. In fact, he had looked forward to it. Instead, a rather disgruntled 'Dexter' followed his teacher/lover on their journey to the Tree of Beginning.

They traveled a long way in a short amount of time—it DID help that Mew was running him dry again. However, it was late afternoon before they finally stopped.

Pink hair tucked beneath a hat, Mew sent Lucifer a grin as he felt a rumble through his feet. Again and again to the front, geysers erupted with thunderous columns of water, rising high before crashing down in fury.

"Geysers!" Mew proclaimed lightly. "And we've hit our first mile-marker!" With a sudden spin, she was back in an all-to-familiar leopard swimsuit, and she winked at the momentarily stunned Lucifer. "To the hot springs!"

Lucifer rolled his eyes when she ran off, clearly ready to enjoy herself. Trudging along behind her, stripped of his clothing except for his swim trunks, Lucifer sat in the water with her.

He waited for her to speak, but she was just humming the tune to their tango. Restless and wanting to get on with it, Lucifer instead relaxed himself and focused his aura. Falling into mediation, he felt a prickle of energy. It was dormant, bundled up small, but powerful. Frowning, Lucifer opened his eyes and looked up a small drop to see the source of it.

It was a flower, small, but curiously shaped. It's color was a merging pink and blue, veins of the leaves protruding sharply. It looked like a flower turned into crystal.

Lucifer stood, letting the water sluice off him. "Mew," he asked, "what is that?"

"Hm?" She looked up and frowned. "Oh, drat. I was hoping you wouldn't figure it out for forever like normal so I could soak a while. Oh well." Mew clambered up quickly to it, grinning. "This is a time flower. It can record short periods of events, you know, help you see the past. It's activated by an aura." She gestured. "Come up here! Activate it!"

"Uh . . . Sure." Climbing up the wall, Lucifer crouched next to Mew. Unsure of how to activate it, so-said, Lucifer touched it uncertainly—immediately a deep glow started, and Lucifer started when the flower opened up, the soft glow of an aura rising out of it. With a deep toll, a sheen of energy passed around the entire area.

His brows pinched when he watched the young boy, Ash, give a shout and fall from a high area down into the hot springs they had vacated just a short while ago. The flower fell, and an unnamed girl caught it. The vision faded.

"See?" Mew said brightly. "Not much to see, but that was his first run-in with these time flowers! Just thought I'd let you know about it and see it first hand. Next, we'll see something extremely important." She shrugged, standing. "So, until then, we enjoy these hot springs!"

* * *

><p>"Here. This is the flower I want you to see."<p>

Lucifer frowned. It wasn't far from the springs. It was hidden beneath several bushes, but he obliged. Immediately it reacted, spreading its faint aura over the area.

"Now, watch close. See Lucario?"

He did. It was night in the vision that encased them, and Lucifer swiped his still-wet hair from his face. Ash was finishing a narration of a story, but the brooding Lucario was set apart from the fire. Lucifer frowned—he was . . . much like himself. He could understand.

Suddenly, he jolted to his feet, snarling angrily, "You humans are all alike! You can't be trusted!"

Lucifer blinked. The words sounded so much the same to the thoughts he had believed in. Ash, however, was a spit-fire, running after the Lucario that stalked off. Unbidden, Lucifer followed.

"Hey, wait a second!" Ash ran in front of him, spreading his hands. "Are you saying you don't trust me?"

The Lucario didn't hesitate, growl set on his face. "You would leave Pikachu without hesitating if you had to," he shot back scathingly, without flinching or hesitating.

"There's no way I'd ever run out on Pikachu!" Ash shouted back just as angrily, two lighted matches for the same and only coal. They fought bitterly, but the Lucario just brushed by him, unblinking.

"Your word means nothing."

Lucifer kept up with the Lucario, hearing Ash yell back, "How do we know Sir Aaron betrayed the queen like you say? Why don't you tell us the real story, Lucario. You deserted Sir Aaron and the queen! Didn't you?"

The Lucario halted, and Lucifer closed his eyes to see if he could look at his aura. It was true and as he had thought—anger was rising in him, and quickly. It blinded him.

The Lucario jerked about, snarling, "What did you say?"

"This isn't helping, Ash!"

He muttered, "I didn't start it . . ."

"What makes you think that Pikachu didn't run off and desert you?" the emotionally wounded Lucario shot back on a growl, teeth clenched tight. "Because it didn't want YOU for a master!" The Lucario stalked off again.

Ash ran after him. "Take that back!" he cried out. Lucifer was startled when the human ran up and tackled the Lucario. Taking off after them, Lucifer slid down the slope they rolled down. They splashed in the water, and a struggle was seen. Then, Ash was thrown out by Lucario, hitting the ground hard. Lucifer jerked his head over as the Lucario leapt out of the water and up the hill, a lone wolf as he strode angrily away.

The vision ended soon after that. Lucifer stood, staring at the present-day waters, utterly still.

He felt Mew's arms envelope him from behind, bare skin against bare skin. Her breath tickled his ear as the sun began to set. "Kinda reminds you of someone, doesn't he?"

Lucifer swallowed, looking down at the rim of his swim trunks. "Yeah . . ." he finally said quietly. He reached up and rested his hands against the back of hers. "Was I . . . as bad as he was?"

Mew shook her head and kissed his shoulder. "No, not quite. Though you were your own royal pain in the rear nevertheless." Lucifer's hands tightened. He related to the Lucario so easily . . . It was almost frightening. "Sometimes I like to wonder if you guys are related," Mew said absently, resting her head against his muscled back, "but I don't know if Lucario had any children. He doesn't seem like the type, so it's probably just wistful fantasy."

Lucifer turned around, locking his arms around her. Her breath caught. "Do I look the type?" he muttered quietly.

Mew's breath quickened. "No. Of course not."

He chuckled, leaning low to nip her lip. "How can I repay you for putting up with my royal pain in the ass?" Lucifer kissed her, trailing his mouth down her neck. Her pulse raced under her skin. "Surely, I don't have to be a pain there, maybe something else . . ."

Lucifer could feel the heat of her skin and didn't have to see her face to know she was blushing brightly. He groaned low in the back of his throat, hands tugging at the skin-tight swimsuit she wore that still carried water. It stuck like an extra skin, but that didn't stop Lucifer. Carefully peeling the fabric from her, Lucifer delved into another unforgettable experience of a lifetime.

* * *

><p>"Lucifer . . . Wake up. Today. Right now. I'm tired of waiting."<p>

He roused drowsily, but didn't get up. He turned his face into her neck, nuzzling her affectionately. "But I don't want to get up," he said as playfully as he could while still half-asleep.

He felt her chest heave as she gave a little 'huff' beneath him. "Don't make me throw you off. You know I don't like to be mean."

On the contrary, Lucifer thought Mew liked it more when he was defying her. So, though he knew he would feel the pain in the next couple of instances, Lucifer trailed his nose up and down her neck with a deep hum. He licked her cheek with a little kiss, murmuring, "You're a mean person."

In response, and just as he expected, a light Psychic tossed him flat on his back. He groaned slightly, but it was overtaken with a laugh.

"And what's so funny?"

Lucifer looked over at her and could only laugh more. Her pink hair was thoroughly tousled, she was still glowing pink after their lovemaking, and compound that with the fact she was trying to be serious with her arms crossed across her chest, Lucifer couldn't stop his mirth. Laughing harder, he heard her huff again.

"Ungrateful wretch—Get up! We've got stuff to see, and I want to see if we can get it all done today so we can be at the Tree of Beginning by nightfall." When he still chuckled, Mew narrowed her eyes. With a flash, they were dressed again. "Keep laughing like that and that's the end of nighttime fun."

Lucifer, however, played her bluff. He chuckled, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows. "Oh, really?"

"Really."

Preferably, they would never stop their nighttime fun, and Lucifer found himself cocky with the fact. "I take that as a challenge," he said, shaking his head. Deliberately, he said, "Ha. Ha. Ha." Then, at her face, he really did laugh. "We'll see how long you can keep yourself from me tonight. And then we'll see just how long my stamina really is."

Mew's face blushed a vibrant red at his jibe on sex, and she scowled, flouncing away. "You'll eat those words."

Lucifer chuckled again. "And maybe something else—"

"And today!" Mew interrupted quickly, scowling deep again, "We get to watch another time flower."

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "I already know the outcome of the story. Why must I watch it?"

"Because!" she said impatiently. She began to run, and Lucifer followed willingly. "I said so! Besides, it's much more interesting, and I wanted to show you how strong auras are."

"Power enough to save a life," Lucifer said easily, keeping up with her from how much experience he had gained.

Mew didn't respond for some time before she gave another irritated breath and said, "Let's be pokemon, we'll get there way faster."

In response, Lucifer grinned and took after her with an Extreme Speed. How he loved being a pokemon!

The grounds ripped by quickly. Curiously, there weren't any other travelers on the road with them, and Lucifer used his aura to assess his surroundings . . . as well as take another look at the glorious pokemon ahead of him.

Lucifer's brows puckered as he looked at Mew's aura. So many things she was feeling this morning! Taking his time to sort through her emotions, he first came across irritation. Yes, that was clear enough, everything had been bothering her this morning. Then, he came across the source of that irritation—and he had to give a cocky grin to himself. She was worried about not being able to resist him. The thought that he was too much temptation for her sent his blood rushing.

Mew was still faintly aroused, but it was draining from her now that she had her mind on other things. Lucifer felt that maddening grin spread. He had such a hold over her! Sorting his way through others, he found that Mew was also a bit sheepish. Interesting. Digging deeper, he found her embarrassment on his comment on his stamina. Lucifer's desire grew—he would show her tonight—!

Lucifer skidded to a halt when he found Mew stopped right in front of him. With a startled yell at her sudden stop, Lucifer bumped into her and they fell on the ground.

She gave an annoyed groan. "Get off of me you lumbering Lucario."

Lucifer chuckled and nuzzled the back of her neck. Curiously, she had chosen to be a Lucario as well. "As you command."

He got up and extended a hand to Mew, but she had already jumped to her feet. She pointed excitedly. "See there? That's the most important time flower around!" Her brows puckered suddenly in thought. The sight was endearing, and she said, "Well, possible the second most important. But important nonetheless!" She transformed back into a cute pink cat. "Remember Lucario's claim about Sir Aaron being a backstabber? Now watch the flower!"

Lucifer shrugged, and he leapt up to the flower. Brushing it, the familiar haze enveloped them, and he started to attention at the scene in front of him.

Lucario was running after his master, eyes closed, and it seemed there was some grit in his eyes. Lucifer stared as the man threw the staff back into the ground. A flash of light blasted from the crystal on the staff, and Lucario cried out one last time.

"Sir Aaron!"

With a magic flash of light, Lucario was sealed into the staff before Lucifer's very eyes. Sir Aaron leapt onto his Pidgeot, flying away.

However, the vision inside a vision didn't end there. Lucifer started when he realized that he and Mew weren't alone—there were other kids around watching, Ash amongst them, and the Lucario was on his hands and knees in front of the staff. The scepter began to tremble.

Lucifer jerked when an army came running up, passing through the area. He jerked out a Bone Rush, caught up in the intensity of the vision, but Mew reprimanded him.

"Calm down, it's just a vision. You are SO like Lucario."

To accentuate her point, Lucario's eyes were wild with fright, and he gave a roaring cry, raising his hands above his head. Lucifer's heart rate picked up when he attacked, and Lucifer swung at the attack that came for Mew—but it passed straight through him AND her both, exploding on the ground not far away.

The danger, however, was real for the other humans with Lucario. They had to dodge his wild attacks that did nothing to the soldiers that were nothing but ghostly images.

"Stop it Lucario!" he heard the Ash kid yell. "It's not real! It's a vision from the past!"

Lucario gained his senses back, breathing hard, his next Aura Sphere dwindling to nothing. He trembled as he backed away, seemingly both horrified by the situation and the way he had lost control. After a few more brief seconds, he turned and ran.

Lucifer didn't think twice but ran after him. "How far do these things record?" he asked her.

She darted through the air next to him. "Oh, I dunno, a mile or so. If you really wanted, you could watch the armies collide . . ."

Lucifer ignored her, chasing the Lucario he felt so close to. The first vision faded without Lucario's aura powering it, but the same image of Lucario dashing away remained. For a while they ran, so fast that Lucifer thought they would pass the limit of the time flower, but eventually the Lucario dropped to his hands and knees, panting, shaking with suppressed emotions.

He spoke aloud to himself, struggling to comprehend it all. "He was my master!" Lucifer set his jaw to control his own emotion when he saw the turmoil in Lucario's face. His eyes opened, revealing impassioned eyes, something dead inside. "And he betrayed me."

Lucifer felt his paw clench. Abandoned . . . He knew the feeling.

His ears twitched when he heard someone's footsteps. He looked back when he saw the Ash kid, puzzlement surrounding his senses. Lucario gasped and jerked up from his hands, feverish eyes colliding with Ash.

"Lucario . . ."

The kid dropped his head. It took Lucifer a moment to realize that he was trying not to cry. "I'm sorry I said all that stuff last night. It wasn't right."

Lucario stood, intrigued.

The boy began to cry in earnest, shoulders shaking, tears dripping down his cheeks. "S-sorry . . ."

Lucifer saw a new light dawn in Lucario's eyes. "Ash," he said slowly. "Promise me you won't ever desert Pikachu."

The boy wiped his eyes, taking a deep breath to control his crying. "I promise," he said strongly, if with a rather weak smile. Then, with a start, Lucario utilized his aura, running off. Lucifer started to too, but he was startled to find the vision fade out.

"Wait—what's happening?"

Mew floated into sight, rolling her eyes. "Well, the time flowers do have a limit. They can't record everything. I suppose that if they brushed the flower again they would have recorded whatever happened next too, but that's all right. We'll head to the next check point."

Before she could get away, Lucifer grabbed her long tail. "What about me?"

She looked back, puzzled. "Huh? What about you?"

Lucifer's grip tightened on her. He hadn't really thought about his future. What would happen when there was no more for Mew to teach him? What would happen then? "Sir Aaron deserted Lucario," he stated, passionate eyes boring holes into Mew. "Ash pursued Pikachu. What about me? As my master, how do you view me? Worthless enough to throw away, or prized enough to run after?"

Mew hesitated before answering. She floated down close, touching her nose to his in sincerity. "Considering the past two nights," she said softly, "I am no master to you. That's twice now I've bent to your will and you have dominated over top of me." She blushed a little as she said this, but did not remove her eyes from his. "And, contrary to what you think, you have taught me some things I hadn't thought about before."

She said nothing else though, and Lucifer tugged gently on her tail. "Mew . . . You didn't answer the question."

She still didn't answer for some time. Instead, she rubbed her cheek tenderly against his, long tail wrapping itself around his knuckles and wrist. Her tiny pink tongue licked him several times on the neck and then the cheek before she nuzzled her nose against his again. The affectionate gestures made Lucifer's heart pump harder.

"You are . . . more to me than I want to admit."

Lucifer's grip on her tail tightened, and his other paw came up to stroke her miniscule and fine hair. Something tightened in the back of his throat. "Truly?"

She nodded. Cuddling close into his chest, she murmured, "I do love you after all. I would pursue you to the ends of this planet and beyond."

Lucifer's throat bobbed hard, and he buried his face in Mew's fine fur. After several long minutes of indulging in her sweet scent and soft body, he finally heard her say playfully, "Well, now that I've satisfied your ego, how about mine?"

A trembling breath left Lucifer's mouth. "You are my everything. I would die without you."

A pause, and then Mew gave a short laugh. "Well, no need to be so melodramatic." She twisted from his grip suddenly, causing Lucifer to grasp out to the air. "All right, none of this melancholy stuff, we're close to the end of the story now! Come on!"

Lucifer took off after her when she suddenly became a Lucario too, racing inside the base of the tree. Lucifer didn't mind much the crystals in the area, or the beauty of the tree—he couldn't take his eyes off the Lucario in front of him.

"This is where things get more interesting!" Mew chirped cheerfully. "So, my Regirock who helps guard my tree started to cause a ruckus when he started attacking the invaders—Lucario and those humans. Only, it wouldn't have been that bad if the one girl hadn't tried to take samples. That was when my immune system reacted HORRIBLY."

Lucifer swallowed, following her quick pace. "So horribly that you almost died."

She gave a careless shrug. That she had so little care for her safety caused Lucifer's blood to boil.

"By this time I was realizing things were really off. I wasn't really feeling good, but I passed it off—stupid me. Pikachu kept saying his friends were here, so I was trying to help him find them." Mew took him to a perilous drop with broken rock bridges. "This is where Pikachu finally saw Ash, but they were still running from my furious Regi. They disappeared down another passage, and we were forced to find a different way." Lucifer looked down on the steep drop. A wind gusted his face. "Lucario managed to ward them off as they all tried to find a way out of my tree, but as you can see . . ." and Mew threw a suggestive wink to him. "My tree is very big. Easy to get lost in."

Lucifer craned his head around. To say it was massive was the understatement of the year. He was sure he could fit all of Saffron AND Sunyshore City in here! Not to mention still have extra room!

"Jump!"

Lucifer blinked when Mew vaulted over the huge gap in the road. He blinked, eyeing the feat uncertainly—it was EXTREMELY far across.

"Come on! Come on! You can do it!"

Wrinkling his nose, Lucifer took a running head start and jumped as far as he could. He flew through the air for several seconds before he realized that he was a few feet short from grabbing the edge.

"Damn it."

His alarm was minor, because just as soon as he started plummeting to whatever waited below—too far below to even see—Mew teleported as a Lucario, grabbed him, and teleported them back up to where they were.

"Good try anyway," she said, and then they were running again, her still narrating. "So, the Tree of Beginning started to produce anti-bodies . . . Hm. I guess they're kinda like white blood cells. Anyway, they began, so say, "eating" up all the viruses in the tree which it just so happened to mistake as anything living, breathing, or moving inside the tree that wasn't me! Well, except pokemon, of course—there's tons of pokemon living in here."

It was true because Lucifer had seen them. They climbed higher. If not for the hard runs up the Jagged Pass, Lucifer would be exhausted by now.

"Well, realizing what the tree was doing, I tried to stop it, but I was feeling worse and worse by the minute. It took me another minute to realize that since the tree was sick that I was sick TOO. Oh—excuse me, Ash and Pikachu met up again." Lucifer rolled his eyes at her apparent lack of organization. "Whelp, I didn't know how to stop the tree, and I didn't really, eh, realize that anything was wrong. It was normal for my system to try to clean itself like the time before. Only, boy was I surprised to find those white blood cells eating up the humans!"

Lucifer snorted. "Indeed."

"Shut up and listen. Lucario tried to stop them, but Regirock and Registeel had him pinned. When all the pokemon started crying for their friends, I was . . . moved, you could say." Lucifer shot her a look, but with her back turned as they went deeper and deeper into the tree, he couldn't gauge her reaction. "So, I restored all the humans back when I realized the pokemon missed them. But . . . That's when I got really sick."

Lucifer's heart pounded hard. This was where it took a turn for the worse.

"The pretty blue crystals? They all started turning a burning orange and red and breaking down, disintegrating really. The tree was dying, and so was I. I led them to this chamber."

Lucifer halted in the room. It was gorgeous and blue, a giant neon-blue crystal in the center. It reminded him of a watered-down version of Mew's aura, and that was to be expected—she did share a symbiotic relationship with the tree.

"Look here, you doubting twat."

Lucifer looked to where she gestured—and jolted.

"Those are . . . !"

"Sir Aaron's gloves," she said with a slight smirk. "Of course. You horrible doubter. Look in those two crystal formations."

Lucifer did, and that shocked him even more. Unable to process what his eyes were seeing, Lucifer burst, "But—How are they both—Encased in crystal?"

She nudged him. "Touch the flower and watch the last thing it recorded."

Lucifer swallowed, suddenly wondering if he wanted to or not. Curiosity won out though, and he brushed his paw above the flower. It activated immediately, encasing them.

"Where are you?"

Lucifer jumped at Sir Aaron's yell, focusing immediately on him. As a faint background detail, he realized once again that he was watching a vision from within a vision, Lucario and Ash and another with them.

"Mew!"

A shocking cry from a Ho-oh split the silence, and it transformed down into a cute fluffy cat. Mew—and she was so sick it strained Lucifer to even watch.

"Mew, I realize that you and this tree are one." He raised a hand to her. "Please, take the power of my aura to save the people!" Lucifer watched a growing blue orb centered itself at Sir Aaron's hand. "Now! Accept the aura! The power of aura will prevail!" Sir Aaron's aura was pushed from his body and around Mew, and she began to glow with a bright blue light. He began to struggle, and Lucifer realized with a sudden start that it was painful when one let go of their own aura. Sir Aaron began to scream, but the image faded out with the lights nearly beginning to overtake everything. Lucifer turned to see Lucario's reaction.

"Sir Aaron sacrificed himself," the woman said, "in order to save the kingdom and restore peace. He was a hero like the legends say."

Lucifer set his jaw against his emotions when Lucario turned back to the crystal formation of his master, kneeling. "Forgive me for doubting you! Master . . ." He fell on his hands and knees, hanging his head low with shame. Lucifer swallowed at his sheer devotion.

The tree was disintegrating in the image though. It showed Mew coming to the overwhelmed Lucario, saying something. She was asking for his aura.

"There's a way to save the tree?" Lucifer watched Lucario's expression change. He wanted to live up to his master's expectations, and what better way to do so than save what he had once saved before? "If we use the power of aura? I'll help you, Mew."

"Hold on Lucario!" the woman cut in. "If you use your aura to reverse the damage, you'll end up in the same suspended state as Sir Aaron!"

Lucifer felt his admiration of the Lucario grow when he was unflinching. "Yes, I know." He turned to the sick Mew—sicker than the time before. "The aura is with me," he said to her. He held out his paw. Lucario immediately started the process, but Lucifer watched with puckered brow. His aura was too weak—it flickered and struggle to encompass Mew.

He let it go with a gasp. "It's not working. I'm not strong enough."

Lucifer was shocked when Ash came, saying, "You remember what you said about me before?" He grabbed Sir Aaron's gloves for some reason, putting them on. "You said my aura was like Sir Aaron's. It's time to test if it's really true."

With their combined efforts, the aura grew strong enough that Mew was able to possess it. At the peak of the transfer though, when Ash was crying out in agony and Lucario was clenching his jaw tight, growling, Lucario lifted his head to Ash. With a start, Lucario knocked Ash out of the way.

Ash fell back so that it was only Lucario forcing the aura to Mew. "Leave the rest of this to me, Ash!" Though his voice was taunt with pain, his words were exhilarated. "The aura is with me!" With a dazzling flash of light that nearly blinded Lucifer, Mew came to the center of the crystal formation and reversed the effects of the virus. Her tree became healthy again, becoming its normal blue color.

Mew came back, happily thanking them all, but it was Lucario that fell hard with a low groan that took all their attention.

"Lucario!"

Lucario fell next to the crystal formation of his master. His entire body trembled in agony, and a chill ran up Lucifer's spin—despite the pain, he would be willing to pass his aura to her. No matter what pain it could cause.

"There's . . . nothing you can do for me, Ash."

The kid however, was a kid. Simple to a fault. "Are you sure?"

Lucario winced and shuddered hard again, jerking. His hand fell near a time flower Lucifer hadn't noticed before, and he started when the vision inside a vision encompassed again.

Sir Aaron was groaning, staggering in pain before collapsing in his designated spot. He left his gloves on a nearby crystal, saying with staggered breaths, "Lucario . . . Forgive me."

The conversation Sir Aaron had with himself was one-sided, but not with the images in replay. Lucario's eyes were wide as he watched his dying moments, murmuring, "I do, master."

"Please understand . . . I had to seal you inside the staff! I knew if I didn't, you'd follow me here and suffer the same fate." Sir Aaron leaned back, staring wistfully to the stars. "I only wish you could have known the real story."

Lucario was unable to take it. In desperation to soothe his master's guilt, he cried out, "I understand!"

Sir Aaron just leaned back, closing his eyes. "One day, you will be released. In a distant and more peaceful time." A soft smile curled his lips. "What will it be like? I wonder if—" A sharp cry of pain interrupted his words, and he clenched his jaw tight, breathing coming fast and furious within the second. His body jerked spasmodically as if he were electrocuted. But, as he began to endure the pain, he shook his head, saying, "I have—no regrets. My journey . . . has been good. I served a beautiful queen, and—you and I shared many adventures."

His confession was tearing the Lucario apart, and Lucifer felt his jaw tick in the effort to control his own emotions. Sir Aaron leaned back even though he still twitched, saying, "Those memories . . . will always be with me."

Lucario's voice was a breathless whisper. "Master . . ." Then, it gained strength with raw passion, tears beading in his eyes as he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to stop them. "If you could only hear me! I want to tell you how much you mean to me!"

"Lucario . . ."

It sounded so much like an answer that the Lucario in question's eyes snapped open as Sir Aaron finally said his last words.

"Farewell." He closed his eyes. "You were more to me than just my student. You were . . . my closest friend."

Lucario's tears grew. "I feel the same," he told him softly to no avail.

"Who knows? It could be . . . one day . . . We will see each other again . . ." Lucifer's jaw bobbed when he saw a tear streak down Sir Aaron's face. "I hope so, my friend."

The image finally ended, and it was the breaking point for Lucario. Tears streaked down his face in earnest, unabashedly, and he dropped his face into his hand, crying freely. "Sir Aaron, my friend . . ." Sobs shook his shoulders. "I'm sorry I failed you . . ."

"That's not true!" Ash denied him quickly. "You proved you're a true guardian of the aura, like Sir Aaron!"

Though unshed tears still beaded his eyes, Lucario's look was grateful. "Thank you Ash." With a harsh cry, he was seized by the ending stings of death, and he fell back. His body began to jerk with the seizures.

"Lucario! Please, hang on! You can't leave us yet!"

A sound of pain slipped from his vocals, but he leaned back, at peace with it all. "I have to go, Ash . . . Aaron . . . is waiting for me . . ."

Lucifer's throat tightened again, and he swallowed when he watched Lucario transformed into crystal right before his eyes. The vision ended, and Lucifer felt a soft paw touch his cheek. He jolted sharply to see Mew as a Lucario. A sad smile touched her face, but she was also happy.

"I told you it was a tragically happy story, didn't I?"

Trying to suppress the sheer emotion of the story was doing Lucifer no good—with a wild gasp he grasped her, pulling her close. They fell to the floor, Lucifer kissing her fervently, licking over her, rubbing his cheeks against hers, nipping her lightly here and there.

"If you ever," he spoke between affections, "need an aura—you have mine. You have all of me—my loyalty, my devotion, my love, my aura, my heart. I am yours." He groaned lowly, growling slightly with passion as Mew gasped beneath him. "I am yours . . . My Mew . . . I am yours . . ."

Lucifer trembled at the sheer extent of his passions, taking her even more ardently than he had the first. But his breathy moans would not stop.

"I am yours . . . I am yours . . . My Mew, oh, my Mew, I am yours . . ."


	10. Chapter 10

Lucifer stirred slowly. Mew had transformed sometime while he slept. She was a tiny cat again, purring contentedly on his chest, curled around the spike. The tip of her long tail kept tracing up and down his spike lovingly.

She was beautiful. In the afterglow of their love, she seemed positively radiant. It made the breath hitch in the back of Lucifer's throat.

"Mew . . ."

He reached up, stroking her fur softly, but she got up, rubbing his cheek without stopping that adorable purring. Finally, she murmured, "Lucifer . . . Though I don't get to say it as often as you . . . or as romantic as you . . . or as yearning as you . . . I . . ." She pulled back, touching her nose to him. "I love you."

The breath trembled from his throat. "I love you, Mew . . . And hearing that from your mouth is more than enough." They sat in amorous quiet for some time, wrapped in the embrace of the other. It was then Lucifer remembered her bet from the other day, and he gave a low chuckle.

"Mew . . . You lost. You said for last night it was the end of nighttime fun."

He felt her tail flick his nose. "Shut up, you're ruining a good moment."

Lucifer chuckled, nuzzling Mew's nose affectionately. The only sound was their soft breathing, Mew's incessant purring. It was a delight to Lucifer's ears, and he lost himself in the beauty of the sound. Mew . . . and she was all his. The thought made his insides warm.

She sighed. "I hate to break this spell . . . You've even got me doubting that I want to get up today, but . . ." She sighed again before flitting up. "We've got work to do. Today we're registering you for the Hero of the Year competition.

Lucifer made a vague sound in the back of his throat. "Hero of the Year? That one for Sir Aaron?"

"Yeah." Mew crawled forward, touching her nose to his. "I want you to win and be the hero of the year."

"Easy enough," he grumbled, licking her chin. "What's the catch?"

Mew purred again slightly, arching her neck, but she quickly flitted up and transformed for him. Lucifer stared at her—well, himself—no, she as himself, and she threw a wink to him from behind sheer blue eyelashes.

"Well, you're going to win the Hero of the Year festival!"

Lucifer stared at his human form. She looked like him. She had the electric blue eyes, she had the thick blue hair he detested, but his face was pulled up into her bright smile, a stark difference to their personalities. She sounded like him. That slightly graveling voice, rough as the way he spoke, his same tone of voice. The transformation had to be her best yet.

It took Lucifer a moment to understand, and then he smirked. "Oh, I see," he said. He stood, cracking his neck. "You will register as my human name, and I will be doing the fighting in the competition in my Lucario form."

"Yep!" she said brightly. "That way you'll get to hold Sir Aaron's staff and sit in the chair and everything!"

Sit in the chair—?

Mew grinned wickedly, so much like himself that Lucifer didn't doubt she could pose as him, saying, "You'll win both figuratively and literally!" She grabbed his arm, and Lucifer started when he felt her teleport. With a swift dip of his mind, Lucifer staggered when his feet hit the ground.

See, this was why he wasn't a psychic type, and this was why he didn't teleport!

They were just outside the grounds of Cameran Castle again. Lucifer frowned at Mew in his own body. "Warn me next time you teleport."

She just shrugged, throwing him a wink. "You're cute when you're angry. Get over it."

Lucifer scowled, glad his head had stopped spinning. "Well, you're nothing short of irritating at times like this."

"You are so hot." Lucifer jumped when the human equivalent of himself pushed his back into a tree, blazing blue eyes in his vision. Mew cocked her head, focusing on him. "Tell me, Lucifer, have you ever masturbated?"

He blinked in utter shock, most certainly poised to flee from her—she had to be out of her mind!—and then, she was laughing.

She let him go with a wild laugh, all but howling with mirth as tears started to streak down her cheeks. Lucifer scowled deeper, a furious blush on his cheeks, still startled by her sheer audacity, and he turned and stalked off.

Coming into sight of the grand castle, Lucifer felt his ears twitch when he heard excited murmuring. He just glanced at the people who mulled about, but several went flying into the castle with a message. Lucifer ignored them.

Instead, since he had missed breakfast with the sickening teleport, Lucifer found an Oran berry tree. Just as he was about to leap up and get some, he heard a cheery voice intone inside his head.

"Keep your feet planted on the ground and get breakfast!" Lucifer rolled his eyes at Mew's instructions, knowing she was somewhere nearby. "I'm going inside and eating human food—it tastes so good!"

Lucifer's brows pinched at his new challenge. There was no using a Psychic like Mew did—he didn't have the capabilities. He could use a Bone Rush to slam against the tree hard enough that several berries would fall to the ground, but he doubted Mew would be impressed with him hurting the bark of the tree. Any projecting pokemon attack would bring down too many berries at once for only him to eat. He pondered the challenge more until he found an answer.

His aura. If he could concentrate it and throw just a little of it, he could bring them down one by one. Focusing, finding it easier and easier to use his aura, Lucifer sent a tiny spurt up. The berry fell, and he caught it. Easy as thought, he did it several more times as he devoured each berry in turn.

Appetite waning, it was the fourth berry he caught that he realized the commotion was rising around the castle. Glancing over, he saw why—the queen.

She was a bit more elderly now that she had a teenage daughter to secede the throne to, but that didn't diminish her beauty. She had long, curly blond hair. Childbearing hips, they were wide, and it accentuated her slim waist. Green eyes looked out at him, and Lucifer processed her outfit. She did not wear one of her silken, regal dresses, but a cotton one, more fitted for outdoors. The long sleeves protected her from the chill of the wind of autumn.

She smiled when her daughter came running up. "See, Mother? That's him!"

Lucifer resisted a conceited chuckle. So, another came to catch him.

Queen Ilene gave a quiet laugh, waving her daughter back. "It is all right. He is strong, but I am determined."

Then, it all suddenly fell into place for Lucifer. Lucario was not a pokemon native to the region, and rare enough amongst trainers in its native region. To find one in the wild (such as himself) was too tempting an offer for the queen and the princess to pass up. Lucario were famous around these parts—and everyone wished to capture Lucifer because of the legacy Sir Aaron and his Lucario had left behind.

Queen Ilene picked up her pokeball. "Go, Pidgeot!"

Lucifer threw his unfinished berry to the side, delighting in the fight. He wondered half-heartedly in his head whether or not her owning a Pidgeot was a tribute to Sir Aaron owning one.

He contacted Mew through telepathy. "Any restrictions?"

"Nope," she said happily back. "Have at it. I'm coming out to watch."

Lucifer stretched his fingers before moving curiously away from the tree. How would she attack?"

"Pidgeot, use Featherdance!"

Lucifer rolled out of the way quickly, throwing up a Quick Guard when a Wing Attack collided close. As the Pidgeot passed, Lucifer quickly swung his fist and hit the bird square on with a Mega Punch. It squawked before soaring up out of reach. Lucifer looked up, and when the sun almost blinded his eyes from the flying bird, he accessed his aura, letting it flow. The sun dimmed to nothing, and the Pidgeot's aura was clear.

"Now use Agility!"

Lucifer frowned. Utilizing his next attack, he sent an easy Aura Sphere up to the flying pokemon that dove out of the way quickly. Hm. No playing hide and seek—Lucifer would have to take her attacks head on if he expected to hit her.

"All right, Pidgeot, Steel Wing!"

Lucifer backed up several steps as she charged furious before taking an aggressive stance. She dipped low with the attack, and Lucifer parried with a Close Combat.

For every Steel Wing he managed to block it with his fists and feet. Finally, the Pidgeot fell back without getting past his defenses, and Lucifer shot an Aura Sphere back at it. It yelped in pain, and then he heard Queen Ilene say, "Mirror Move!"

Lucifer jolted when a swift Aura Sphere was sent his way, and he groaned low when it collided with him. The first hit he had suffered from anyone except Mew and Mewtwo.

"Wing Attack!"

The onslaught was fast and furious, and Lucifer applauded the queen's training methods before he took the offensive. Using a Feint that failed, he slipped beneath the large Pidgeot's powerful wings before slamming a Force Palm directly into its stomach. The bird screeched in pain, and Lucifer followed up with a Dark Pulse that sent it sprawling on its back.

He whipped out a Bone Rush, charging to the fallen pokemon.

"Fly, my sweet!"

The Pidgeot flew up quickly with a blast of dust in Lucifer's face. He swiped at it, but it retreated beyond his reach. Tracking its moving aura, Lucifer let the Bone Rush disappear and attacked with a Dragon Pulse.

The pokemon dived around it, and he threw up his arms to help ward off the surprising Twister that crashed down on top of him. He tried to stare through it, but he started on the inside—the attack disrupted his vision. The aura ripped across his vision in messy streaks from the churning of the Twister, and he didn't see the Pidgeot dive bomb with a Wing Attack that sent him gasping for breath. Lucifer fell on his back hard before flipping himself agilely to a standing position.

He knocked away the pokeball sent prematurely to him. The queen had obviously thought the consecutive strong attacks were enough to bring him down.

An Extreme Speed saved his butt from another hard attack, and that was when Lucifer felt a cascade of feathers hit him—Feather Dance! Attack cut sharply now, he altered his offensive strategy to suit his limitations. He needed to be careful—low attack, and low defense from his Close Combat. He felt a quirk of a smile touch his lips as he heard Mew's voice in his head—It all went back to the basics! Dodge!

He attacked with a Dark Pulse that cut the air open, determined to end this quickly. It missed from the Pidgeot's sheer speed before it twisted back down with a shocking Steel Wing.

Lucifer grabbed the chance as he saw it. Jumping, he landed on the Pidgeot's back as it veered back into the sky. A rousing gasp was heard from the onlookers when he grabbed on it, and Lucifer slammed a powerful Force Palm into its back. It screeched before a Steel Wing clipped his jaw hard, sending him falling from the sky.

Lucifer twisted around in the air with an Aura Sphere, taking just enough time to aim before throwing it with all his strength as he fell. He hit the ground hard but rolled to a crouched position, in a forward lunge. He whipped out a Bone Rush for safety measures when the great bird hit the ground. However, Lucifer had no worries since it couldn't bring itself back to its feet.

He grunted as the queen returned her pokemon in shock. He let the Bone Rush disappear, and he turned when he felt Mew's presence.

"Good job, Lucifer."

It was still strange to see her as himself, but the queen immediately looked to her. "Is this your Lucario, sir?" she said.

The blue-haired man sent him a playful grin. Mew's blue eyes twinkled. "Yes, he is certainly MY Lucario."

Lucifer snorted, crossing his arms in disdain and not saying anything.

"He is certainly strong. You have trained him impeccably."

He heard himself chuckle. "Yes. I let him roam free, and it seems that more than once he's managed to get trainers after him." Dexter looked at him. "I sometimes wonder if I should let him roam free, but then I don't have the heart to put him back in his pokeball."

Lucifer resisted snorting again—he didn't HAVE a pokeball, and she would get it if she even tried it! He turned to his "trainer" and the queen. She smiled amicably at Dexter. Lucifer silently thanked Mew on the inside that she wasn't being TOO friendly—he never was, and she kept her answers short and non-frivolous.

"It is a wonder he is so strong. Are you planning to participate in the Hero of the Year festival?"

"I plan to," Dexter said, and then, a hand eagerly pumped his.

"Mother is letting me compete as well this year," the princess said, eyes alight. "My name is Sable. I hope I get to battle you."

Dexter nodded shortly before removing his hand from hers. "My name is Dexter, and I thank you for your time, but I must be going." Mew inclined her blue-topped head and moved on, leaving the princess stunned that she had missed her obvious attraction. Lucifer followed willingly.

* * *

><p>Mew registered "Dexter" for the Hero of the Year competition with his faithful Lucario. Lucifer cracked his knuckles in anticipation of the next battle to come.<p>

"Now," Mew said in his voice, "there will be limitations. I'll let you know when I see what you're battling against."

Lucifer just grunted. He had expected as much. This competition was more for learning to use his aura in battle well. As such, when the first round began, Lucifer found himself facing a Raticate.

In response, he couldn't use any fighting type moves. Three attacking moves, plus his Quick Guard, fell off the board.

"Raticate, Super Fang!"

Lucifer crouched, let the giant rat come close, and he knocked him back easily with a Bone Rush. The thing squeaked, sprawling back, and the trainer across the field jolted, amazed at how easily Lucifer retaliated.

Taking no time idle, Lucifer charged with a Mega Punch.

"Raticate, use Quick Attack!"

Lucifer changed tactics with a smirk. He evaded easily with an Extreme Speed, leading the Raticate on a wild goose chase until he swiftly turned the tables by turning the chaser into the chased. Lucifer felled the pokemon with a mighty Mega Punch.

He came back to his side of the field where "Dexter" watched silently, assessing his performance. When the Raticate struggled up again, Lucifer gave a straightforward Dark Pulse.

"Dodge it!" Lucifer blinked nonchalantly when the Raticate managed to move. "Double-Edge!"

Lucifer watched it come forward. Then, as it drew near, he twisted out of the way and whipped out a Bone Rush. As it passed, he slammed it into the Raticate's back and let it sprawl across the ground.

The first win went to him.

As did the next ones. Lucifer fought an agile Medicham next. This time, he was restricted to ONLY fighting type moves. That ill-suited Lucifer because he favored his Bone Rush, but he abided by Mew's wishes.

Currently engaged in a deadly dance of Close Combats, Lucifer managed to force the Medicham away with by slapping his hand against it and letting a Force Palm fly. The pokemon grunted and hit Lucifer in the jaw with a swift Sky Uppercut. Unflinching, Lucifer used another Close Combat before back flipping away from a Fire Punch, and he threw an Aura Sphere down to the pokemon. It erupted somewhere near, blinding the Medicham, but Lucifer knew it missed. Landing lightly on his feet, he shot another through the smoke, and the resounding cry let him know of his success.

Only after he had defeated his opponent did Lucifer let himself rub his smarting jaw. He looked to Mew, and the blue-haired man tapped a finger on his lips in thought. "You should have used a Feint regardless of it failing, it would have allowed you to dodge that attack," she finally said in his deep voice.

Lucifer nodded sharply. "I shall try harder," he spoke through telepathy.

Things got more challenging as they went on. When he fought an extremely speedy Rapidash, he wasn't allowed to use his Extreme Speed or Quick Guard, making it so that he was unable to keep up with the pokemon no matter what. To make things even worse, he wasn't allowed any physical moves either, forcing him to use only projecting moves.

After another Dark Pulse missed and he was forced to endure another painful Stomp, Lucifer snarled, put off that he was forced into this difficult position. It was so tempting to just take the annoying fire horse down with a simple Bone Rush, but the point was that Mew wanted him thinking out of the box.

Instead of attacking, Lucifer threw up a ward of aura energy to save himself from a Fire Blast—to which the crowd gave several impressed gasps—and when the Rapidash charged close again, he sent his Dark Pulse directly into the horse's path. It squealed shrilly, tumbling over its feet, and Lucifer leapt upon the chance given. Pelting it with a Dragon Pulse before it could rise, his attacks were quick and direct, consisting of only Dragon Pulse, Dark Pulse, and Aura Sphere. He made easy prey of the fallen Rapidash.

It was frequently that Mew restricted him of his Bone Rush—in fact, every fight except for the first one. The only other battle she allowed him to use it was a fight against a Marowack where he could use nothing BUT Bone Rush. He understood that she didn't want him relying on it so much, so he squelched his irritated emotions and let himself succumb to her teachings again.

Several times, he was restricted to no sight and no aura either, just blackness, and he would use the aura to SENSE where his enemy was. It was a difficult way to battle, and taxed Lucifer's patience, but he came out victorious every time.

Mew became increasingly experimental with her orders, but the last battle for the title came, and Lucifer found himself paired with the adoring princess.

"Go, Jolteon!"

Dexter spoke. "Lucifer, use only Bone Rush and Aura Sphere." That was new. "Only defend with your natural speed, not Extreme Speed, and aura wards."

So, that was it? Lucifer assessed his new opponent where the trainer was dressed lavishly in a medieval dress. Not to mention how Mew had dressed "Dexter". She wore the traditional suit of Sir Aaron, exactly how Ash Ketchum had worn it, with the lacing blue boots, the same hat, and the gloves with the rounded jewels on the back.

The final battle began, and before Lucifer could let the girl have the first move, she took it.

"Jolteon, Thunder!"

Powerful, and from the front—Lucifer threw up an easy ward from the aura, blocking the attack easily. The crowd "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed over this, but the Jolteon was charging with a Thunder Fang. Lucifer twisted and utilized his favorite Bone Rush, slamming the pokemon to the ground. In response, an electrifying Thunder zapped him from the toes up.

All his fur stood on end from the powerful energy, and Lucifer gritted his teeth at the sheer power that enveloped him. However, fighting through the attack that nearly made his eyes black out, Lucifer threw all his weight and strength behind a Bone Rush that made the Jolteon squall in pain. Then, he felt sand dashed into his eyes, and Lucifer flinched at the gritty pain on the tender area.

Before he could retaliate, Lucifer felt a staggering pain erupt on his stomach first, and when he twisted, again on his shoulder—a Double Kick!

Without sight, Lucifer flipped backwards far to avoid the foe he couldn't see. However, he made an easy fix of that mistake by peering out with the aura. In response, he saw the glittering aura of the Jolteon dashing forward with another apparent Double Kick on hand, but Lucifer accidentally let his eyes stray to Mew's bright aura that took his breath away. This time, it literally did steal the air from his lungs as he suffered another super-effective Double Kick.

Lucifer gritted his teeth and flung himself away before twisting into an athletic back flip. Jumping up and landing lightly on the edge of the round dome, on the secondary level where people gasped and backed up, he took the chance to scrub his eyes to no avail.

Sensing the Zap Cannon hurtling towards him, Lucifer flipped to the next level and dove down to the side when those Zap Cannons didn't falter. However, busy dodging the attacks, when Lucifer flung his body away from another that made his hairs stand on end he landed lightly on an open balcony—the queen's balcony.

In fact, he landed face-to-face with her, and she seemed to press back into her seat because he was suddenly so close to her. Something about her aura, Lucifer wasn't sure, but something about her aura made him falter, scrutinizing her more. Not flinching, he threw an arm back and an aura ward up, and the Zap Cannon collided with it.

She was impressed with him. Not only that, but she was let down that he was "another trainer's" pokemon. Queen Ilene desired a Lucario, and within this half a second, Lucifer wondered if he could fulfill both her AND her daughter's dream. Mew might be sterile in her core form, but as a Lucario . . .

The thought was too tempting to even finish.

Instead, Lucifer wrapped up the battle quickly by flipping backwards and throwing a powerful Aura Sphere towards the Jolteon. Darting towards the rising smoke, knowing he had missed, Lucifer dove through the dust and swung his Bone Rush and defeated the princess's pokemon. She gave a shout of disbelief.

Lucifer glanced over at "Dexter", and seeing Mew, he threw her a secretive grin. When she saw that roughish smile, a flicker of unease wove its way into her aura.

How he would LOVE to tell her of his idea.


	11. Chapter 11

Lucifer stood a bit stiffly at the center of all the attention, back in his human form. The costume reflecting Sir Aaron's outfit made him uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do about that now. Glancing out into the crowd, he saw a pink head and a bright wave.

He nearly rolled his eyes. Did she really expect him to wave stupidly when the queen was presenting Sir Aaron's staff to him?

Speaking of such, Lucifer diverted his attention to Queen Ilene when she came to stand in front of him. Utter silence blanketed the ballroom. "This is the staff of the guardian," she told him with unsurprising clarity, "that once belong to the great Sir Aaron." Her sea-green eyes were warm with affection, glowing with admiration. "According to our tradition, the winner of the pokemon contest is named the guardian of the aura for the year, and is presented with this staff."

Lucifer's blue, blue eyes snapped down to the sight of the staff of dark grey iron, the azure crystal nestled in the center. Sir Aaron's staff, and Lucario's imprisonment.

"On behalf of my kingdom, Dexter, it's yours."

Lucifer gave a grave nod, and after a second's hesitation, took the scepter into his glove-clothed hands, gloves eerily similar to the actual ones in Mew's tree.

The feel of the smooth metal in his grip sent his heart pumping. After experiencing the story firsthand, Lucifer felt a kind of intimacy with staff and the soul that had been held captive inside. He gazed down on the gleaming crystal, barely hearing the sound of polite applause in his ears.

Queen Ilene stepped forward, spreading her hands regally. "Now we will begin the grand ball, honoring Sir Aaron and Lucario, and our new guardian. Please, enjoy yourselves everyone!"

The festivities began promptly. Lucifer sat in his chair, untroubled, gazing down at the glorious staff he held. It fascinated him, and his attention stayed fixed upon it until he heard a voice of importance.

"Sir Dexter." He looked over to the queen he sat next to. Her eyes were kind. "How fares your Lucario? Where is he? I'm sure the people would love to meet him."

Lucifer averted his eyes out to the dancing people so she could not see the lie. "He is a naturally aloof pokemon," he stated, watching a pink head in her equally green dress with pink flowers. Once again, she took his breath away. "He has retreated outside to the forest somewhere."

"Ah, I see." She was disappointed. He could hear it in her voice. However, Queen Ilene didn't stop the conversation there. "He reminds me much of our very own Lucario who saved this kingdom before. Lucario was very much aloof and hardened. He was stolid."

Little did she know. And wouldn't she be surprised to know that he was not a human, but the very Lucario she wished to see?

The orchestra struck up a livelier jig, and Lucifer watched Mew immediately take the dance floor with a new partner. Queen Ilene glanced over at him.

"This may seem forward," she said, "but I must confess it as true. Your eyes are most beautiful, more azure than the sky."

At a loss of what to say, Lucifer just gripped Sir Aaron's staff tighter. "Thank you."

Queen Ilene smiled. The old woman behind Lucifer did not move and did not speak. "You've trained your Lucario so well. And he is so strong with the aura."

Lucifer clenched his fist. It was on the tip of his tongue to say that he had trained hard. "Yes, we train hard." Thinking of how far he had come from the inept Lucario he once was, a slight smirk touched his face. "Yes, teaching him how to use his aura was like pulling teeth."

The queen suddenly sat straighter, eyes widening. "You taught him to use his aura? You are an authentic aura guardian?"

Her voice was laced through with reverence. An uncommon blush tried to make it to his face, but he fought it down. "Yes, but only in training."

"Who is your teacher?" Queen Ilene asked in breathless wonder. Her alight eyes only made things clearer that she was fascinated. "Can you demonstrate?"

Lucifer wondered which question she wanted answered first, but he eventually worked his way backwards. Taking off his glove and extending his palm towards her, Lucifer let the aura flow gently from inside of him. It stirred like a ripple from the bottom of a vast pool, starting deep and making its way to the surface. The glowing blue energies danced within his palm.

Queen Ilene's face was captured with rapt attention. Her hand started to unconsciously reach out, but she withdrew it quickly. "May I?"

A flash of surprise shafted through Lucifer. Could she? He had never actually had someone touch his aura before, so he didn't know the full effects of it. Mew had once said that it was dangerous to attack with his aura, so he knew it was risky for her to make contact with it. Also, it was a part of his deepest being—he suspected that she could touch his emotions.

Hiding it all swiftly, Lucifer tried to tone down the sheer power embodied in the energies and tried to detach himself some from the glowing aura that thrived in his palm. "As you please," he told her, and it was then he realized that they had an audience.

The people of the celebration were slowing their dances to watch with just as much curiosity as Lucifer did when Queen Ilene put her hand out. Her slender fingers hesitated close, so close Lucifer was sure he could FEEL it, and then she dipped her fingers into the aura energy, even going so far as to lightly touch his palm.

Lucifer felt his body jolt rigid at the sudden unabashed contact with her. She was touching his very emotions themselves, touching his entire being at the slightest brush of her fingertips. No harm came to her fingers at the contact, so the thought of it being unsafe was thrown out the window—he clearly had to mean malice to the person for his aura to hurt them—but that still didn't account for how she was all but touching his SOUL.

Jerking upright with a small gasp, Lucifer twisted away from the contact with her as if burned, and the experience left his heart thumping wildly.

Queen Ilene quickly brought her had back as well. "I'm sorry," she said fast, face turning a bit pink. "I did not mean—"

"No," he interrupted, withdrawing his hand and replacing the glove. His insides still shook uncomfortably at the sensation of being stripped of all privacy. "It was my fault. I didn't know what would happen."

"Which is why you shouldn't experiment like that," a chipper voice chirped. Lucifer looked up to see Mew in all the glory of her pink hair tip toe up the steps daintily and curtsy to the queen. "Queen Ilene, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dexter's teacher, Faye."

Queen Ilene rose, showing a surprising respect to Mew. "No, please, the pleasure is all mine! True aura guardians—I thought I would never see the day. They are so few and far between!"

Mew laughed gaily. "Yes, unfortunately they are!" Then, she turned to Lucifer, shaking her head and clicking her tongue. "Now, I'm sure I don't have to explain a thing. You know not to go around doing THAT anymore, right?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her chastising tone. "Right."

Mew giggled and then grabbed his hand. "Come on—Let's dance!"

However, while Mew jerked him to his feet, a steely hand gripped his arm. Lucifer turned to see the old woman pulling him back.

"Oh no you don't," she said seriously. "You must sit and look dignified, like the true aura guardian you are!"

Lucifer set his jaw—if Mew asked it, he followed, and it wasn't as if he fancied sitting in a chair all night. He wrenched himself from the woman's grip and shoved the staff none-too-gently into her arms.

"If my lady pleases," he spoke stiffly, "then I will dance. Your word means nothing to me." In saying so, Lucifer left without a second thought (the woman sputtering) and led Mew to the floor.

She rolled her eyes, swatting him on the way. "You are so MEAN!" she said, but she didn't honestly seem that worried about it. As Lucifer began the next dance with Mew, he happened to glance the queen and her lady. The queen laughed at the haughty look on the older woman's face, causing the older lady to scowl and set the staff impatiently on his seat of honor.

The festivities continued with aplomb. Mew and Lucifer were quickly recognized and avowed as aura guardians, venerated for the fact. Also, they became known for their dancing skills.

It was no wonder Mew had wanted them learning ballroom dancing. Though they didn't tango to the songs (which was just as well for the obvious reason), Mew and Lucifer excelled in the fluency of the ballroom dances that made the crowd love them all the more. Lucifer realized a bit belatedly that they were going to be famous in the region now.

However, everything passed smoothly. Lucifer ate a couple bites of food and hydrated himself well in the company of Mew, taking part in many dances. But, as it was, Lucifer was more than fed up with the party before half the night was gone.

He started up the fireworks as the last thing he was obligated to do, and after that Mew accused him of being sour because he wasn't into celebrating. After another hour of letting Mew fraternize, Lucifer took charge.

Lucifer grabbed her wrist. "Mew, come on. We're done."

Mew frowned and tried to pull away. "Well, fine. You can be done, but I'm going to stay up a bit longer, and—"

Lucifer drew her closer, whispering into her ear with a slight snarl of impatience, "No, I think you'll be coming with me. I'd like some . . . alone time with you."

A slight blush started to touch her cheeks, but then she shook it off and twisted away. "Yes, right. That can come later. Besides, what could you possibly do to make me come with you?" Mew was so flippant she didn't see the challenge flare in his eyes. "Anyway, go on with yourself then, and I'll—"

Her words were interrupted by a small squeak when Lucifer swung her up without ceremony into his arms, stalking off with her. This gained several raised eyebrows, but Lucifer didn't care.

However, Mew did. She squeaked self-consciously and ducked her rosy face, sputtering, "L-Lucifer! Put me down!"

"And just what are you going to do about it?" he challenged her, slipping behind the doors to the hallways.

Her bright blush seemed to deepen to a startling degree. "L-Lucifer, I-I'll kick your butt for this, but me down!"

"Do it," he told her, but other than squirming, she didn't put up much of a fight. Lucifer smirked to himself, and despite how risky it could be to do this in a public hallway, he shifted his hand so her dress skirts fell and slipped his hand on her thighs.

She gasped. "L-Lucifer!"

He chuckled, licking his lips before nuzzling his nose to her neck. "I love to hear you do that."

Mew held her silence until he made it to the room "Dexter" was staying in, and Lucifer threw her down on the bed, prowling on top of her.

He flashed her a grin, but before he could do anything more, a Psychic suddenly tossed HIM on his back, and he felt his arms lifted above his head, legs and arms pinned by an outside force. When Lucifer saw Mew's smirk, he suddenly realized that the tables had been turned on him.

"Now," she said easily, and her dress suddenly dissipated to nothing but lingerie that sent his loins rolling, "I think it's MY turn to be on top." She plucked at his outfit, tossing aside the hat before letting his shirt disappear. Swallowing, Lucifer struggled to move to no avail.

"Mew, let me go."

Her teeth flashed in the darkness. "I don't think so," she said suggestively, suddenly stripping him of all other clothing. The breath hitched in the back of Lucifer's throat when her nails trailed down the naked skin of his pectoral.

"You see," she murmured, tracing little circles over his chest, "you've always gotten to, well, dominate, and I plan to change that tonight." She prowled over him, and when her nails dug into the skin of his shoulders, Lucifer felt a fire rip low in his abdomen. She nipped his lip with her teeth before whispering, "I'm going to make you beg me for everything you want."

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at her. It wasn't like he was adverse to this, the way she turned suddenly assertive—he liked her feisty. But to beg . . . that would hurt his pride.

"You wouldn't dare."

Mew just chuckled softly, leaning down, and Lucifer clenched his jaw tight when he felt her tongue lick his neck. Chest heaving, he heard her say, "I guess you'll learn." Mew trailed her hands lower with a seductive look, her passionate eyes setting his insides on fire. "Lesson Number Zero: I ALWAYS get what I want."

* * *

><p>Lucifer woke to a soft purr. His insides warmed immediately, and he opened his eyes to look down on the pokemon-disguised-as-human sprawled over him.<p>

Mew still hadn't moved, and she was cuddled up to his chest contentedly, arms and legs on either side of him. Lucifer traced a finger down her back, and her purring hitched before beginning anew.

"Good morning."

She chuckled through her purring while saying, "Good morning."

Lucifer glanced down with mild amusement to the scratches on his chest. "You're going to have me decorated front and back until I bleed one day."

Her nose wrinkled at the thought of making him bleed, but she said smartly, "I thought you said you liked it?"

Lucifer laughed softly, tracing his fingers back up her back. "Most definitely." The scratches still tingled from last night, making a tickle of desire flicker like fire. Each time she did scratch him sent his mind teetering over the edge in ecstasy. "So, if I'm peaked by your scratches, what sets you off the most?"

Mew sat up some, lifting her head to nuzzle his nose. "Clearly the sounds you make."

A touch of heat dyed his features red, but Lucifer just shook his head.

"Lucifer?"

"Yes?"

Mew sat up, bracing herself on her hands. "Do you remember how you felt when you let Queen Ilene touch your aura?"

He frowned. "Yes. What of it?"

Mew took a breath before extending her cupped palms to him. The soft glow of a sparkling aura filled her hands, and Lucifer's breath hitched.

He sat up, and because he stared down and their close proximity, his forehead rested against Mew's. "Mew . . . A-Are you sure?"

Lucifer saw her lips twist up in a smile. "I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't sure."

Lucifer felt his hands grip her arms, and he hesitated before letting his fingers brush against her wrists, and then, her aura.

He had braced himself for impact, but when you weren't on the receiving of the touch, it was . . . beyond words. A feeling of bliss encased him, and he realized that he was touching Mew's emotions. She was curious, and he figured it because she wanted to know what he thought of sharing herself so unabashedly to him. Lucifer pressed his face to her, reveling in the contact so intimate there was no privacy.

Lucifer let out a trembling breath. "Mew . . ."

The soft touch of her lips was accented by the pleasure that rippled through her consciousness. "You're welcome."

It was different than just looking at her aura. By looking he could tell what she felt, see her greatest secrets, and try to figure out why she felt what she felt. But when he was TOUCHING her aura he was bared open to her feelings, and her feelings became his feelings, using him as an outlet so that he shared everything she felt. Her pleasure became his pleasure, and he smiled in return for her kiss and happiness.

A wave of dreamy delight passed through Mew, making Lucifer nearly lightheaded with bliss. "Lucifer, you should smile like that more often."

Her light tone belied her impassioned emotions. Lucifer swallowed, nuzzling her nose. "I'll be sure to accommodate you," he said softly. Then, he withdrew his fingers from her aura and held out his own palms, letting them fill with his aura.

Mew's eyes widened a little at his equal invitation, and she bit her lip slightly before returning his touch.

Lucifer's breath hitched when he felt himself bared open to her, nothing hiding her from feeling everything in him. If she wanted to bask in his presence she could, but if she wanted to dig deeper and find out what he felt on past things, she could do that as well.

Mew's lips turned up into a soft smile at the innocence of his slight embarrassment, the way he was a bit uncomfortable, but Lucifer relaxed into her touch quickly. He naturally kept to himself, would even keep himself from Mew, but now Lucifer found he liked the personal bond with Mew. At once, they both leaned forward to hug each other, and Mew giggled softly when she reacted to his own emotions.

"Can I show you something else?"

Lucifer looked down at her, swiping his annoyingly blue hair out of his eyes. "What is it?"

"Keep your aura there." Lucifer did as asked, and then his heart beat twice as fast when she let her own aura pulse out of her palms, and she let them hover above his.

Sensing his shock, she smiled coyly at him. "I've only done this once before, but he was more like a brother to me than anything."

"Mewtwo," Lucifer said quickly, licking his lips.

"Yeah, how'd you know."

It wasn't a question though. Instead, before she could ask, he said quietly. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Mew smiled softly. "Then now."

She slowly lowered her hands to his, and Lucifer jolted sharply when their auras touched and merged together. He gasped, grasping her hands tightly.

It was too much to put into words. Lucifer struggled to hold back the sudden passions of being so closely linked to her, but his excitement was echoed by Mew when she felt it, and she laughed at his intense reaction. In response, Lucifer felt his lips curve into a wry smile, a bit sheepish. Mew kissed him, and when Lucifer's heart lurched, hers did too.

Lucifer took a deep breath, struggling to control himself, but his eyes lidded as they sat naked together in the bed. This was as personal as things could ever get, as shamelessly open as they could ever get. In the aftermath of their lovemaking, purely nude and unashamed of it, to have her this close, closer than his mind could actually comprehend, Lucifer kissed Mew again.

This time was different because he could feel her cherishing emotions envelope him, and Lucifer groaned deep, his own devotion lighted like dry brush in the hot summer. Lacing his fingers through hers, Lucifer stretched his body amorously over hers. A wave of crippling passion overcame them both, and when Mew's chest brushed his and her hips dug against his, a pathetic little moan escaped Lucifer's lips.

Something deep within Mew sent a heady wave of desire over Lucifer, making him grip her hands tighter. A slight whine caught in the back of his throat as he bit her neck and shoulders lightly, and the enticing sounds he made spiked Mew's ardor more.

* * *

><p>After finally controlling the intense convulsions of his body from a climax that had sent hoarse cries from his throat, Lucifer growled low into Mew's neck, still nipping her slightly with his teeth.<p>

Mew still gasped weakly beneath him, fingernails still digging into his skin. Their auras still engulfed them like a fog.

Lucifer took in another uneven breath, body still seized with slight spasms as if he couldn't calm himself down. Peaking with her like that, their auras still touching more intimately than anything could, had sent both of them way over the edge as they felt one another climax and heightened their own pleasure. Nothing could compare to what he had just experienced, and Lucifer didn't even care if people had heard them.

Sunlight glared from behind closed shutters, and eventually, when they had calmed a bit more, Mew said with a slight laugh laced with bliss, "And I think that's as good as it gets . . ."

Lucifer chuckled deeply into her neck, licking her. "Trust me," he grumbled, arms tightening around her, "it will only get better."

A bit of embarrassment full of future desire tinged her emotions, and Lucifer felt it all.

However, a tiny grumble from Mew's stomach interrupted the loving setting, sending a spark of amusement through Lucifer and mortification through Mew. "I . . . guess I'm hungry," she said awkwardly, but Lucifer just kissed her nose affectionately.

"Of course," he murmured, inwardly loathing to get up. "It is the middle of the day." Mew felt his reluctance before he pulled his aura back to himself, and she followed suit. Lucifer stood, extending his hand to her. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to dress me, we could be on our way."

Mew cocked her head at him, and she dressed herself in a pink sundress and white tennis shoes. A fluffy white jacket covered her to keep her warm. "Actually," she said, circling him thoughtfully, "I think I like you better like this."

Lucifer blinked once before Mew bolted towards the door, and he gave a shout, chasing after her. However, Mew's feet were lithe as a deer's, and she was out the door and slammed it shut behind her on the naked Lucifer's face.

"Mew!" he bellowed, slamming a fist against the door. He didn't dare take a step outside. "Get back here!"

Her voice came from the other side of the door. "What's wrong, Dexter? I'm right here!"

Lucifer scowled, saying back, "Faye, this isn't funny!"

She giggled. "What's not funny?"

"You know what!"

"I think I've forgotten, can you tell me?"

Unbelieving at what she was saying, Lucifer shook his head. "You can't be serious, Faye. Wouldn't that be a bit awkward for . . . myself to say at a time like this?"

"I'll go eat on my own," Mew sang out, and Lucifer tried to scowl, but instead found an uncanny laugh twisting up his features.

"Faye, I believe you've confined me to this room unless you help me out here."

Lucifer's eyes opened wide when Mew sighed back, "Oh, well, I suppose if you're not hungry I'll just go eat on my own . . ."

"Faye, wait!" Lucifer was just as hungry as she was, ravenous, and he stared at the grain of the wooden door, unbelieving of what he was going to say.

"Yes, Dexter? Is there something you want to tell me?"

Pressing his lips together, Lucifer finally muttered, "You didn't put any clothes on me."

"What was that?" she cajoled from beyond the door, clearly having heard exactly what he had said.

Lucifer scowled, getting irritated now that she was doing this. "You heard exactly what I said!" he barked back.

"Okay then," she said, and he could almost feel her wave from the other side of the door. "I guess I'll see you downstairs later on."

She still wasn't going to clothe him. Before she could leave, Lucifer took the raunchy idea up.

"Faye," he called back, "I think I will be joining you downstairs right now."

There was a palpable pause. "What?"

Lucifer nodded, putting his hand on the door. "Yes, seeing you know what my race is, I won't be bothered coming out now." Which was true. As a pokemon, he felt no need for humans confining clothes, and he smirked to himself at the thought that he had gotten Mew to hesitate.

"You wouldn't dare. What would everyone think?"

Lucifer shrugged, grinning wider. "I don't know, and I don't really care. Are you ready to go?"

Mew hesitated more. "Wait, Dexter, I'm not so sure—"

Lucifer flung open the door before she could protest more, and she squeaked loudly, pushing him back inside and slamming the door back shut.

"Luci—Dexter, honestly!"

Lucifer bellowed with true laughter for once, exhilarated that he had managed to get her to nearly scream his true name exasperatedly, successfully getting her piqued to the point of losing her temper.

"Dexter, what's the big idea! Fine, fine! Have it your way! You stupid Luca—Stupid! Stupid!"

Lucifer laughed more when she obediently made him wear jeans and a black and red checkered sweater with black sneakers.

"Argh—I'll get you back for this, Dexter, just you wait!"

Lucifer quickly threw open the door again, and seeing her stomping in a huff down the hallway, he chortled more.

"Yes!" he called out to her with a rakish grin. "I can't wait to see what you come up with!"


	12. Chapter 12

Lucifer crouched opposite of Mew, a bit miffed that she would agree to things even if he didn't.

At the moment they circled each other in their human forms, auras pulsing slightly from their hands. Queen Ilene had asked for them to demonstrate their aura capabilities, and Mew had immediately jumped on the chance. So now, they "sparred" with their auras.

Lucifer hesitated, unsure of how to attack Mew. She wore black leggings and a sweater, and Lucifer wore loose track pants with a similar sweater, each outfit suited for the practice fight. Queen Ilene and her daughter the Princess Sable watched eagerly from the side, as well as a large group of spectators.

The rules were simple—both Mew and Lucifer would use their auras against each other without malice, and the first to either pin, strike a "killing" blow, or forced the other to yield was the winner.

Lucifer slid his feet across the dry ground, focusing on Mew. She circled, eyeing him carefully and gauging his strength. Lucifer did the same, but he wondered; how could he get past her defenses? He knew she was still better to this day, but before he could contemplate it any longer, Mew took the offensive.

Blocking each of her blows with his forearms, Lucifer swung his fist back. Mew ducked lithely beneath him and hit him in the gut, but Lucifer took the hit as well as he could and instead sent a return blow to her side. She grunted femininely, and backed away a few steps, but Lucifer felt an urge to defeat her quickly before she could wear him down. Jabbing quickly, Lucifer aimed for her jaw, but his knuckles missed their mark. Lucifer started on the inside when he saw a flash of pink hair duck close and then slam her forearm into his face.

An explosion of pain blinded his vision with stars. Crying out and backing away, Lucifer grasped at his aura and threw up a shield—and a foot crashed against the ward, protecting him.

Lucifer's heart rate picked up incredibly as he shook his head free of sparks of pain, ignoring what he assumed to be a broken nose because he could feel warm blood dripping over his lips, Lucifer grabbed Mew's next punch and twisted her arm back. However, he felt a shaft of irritation when she outwitted his maneuver AGAIN.

He tried to twist her arm backwards in an obtuse angle, but Mew jumped and flipped over as well, unwinding herself before striking his jaw hard. Lucifer gritted his teeth and threw his full weight against her.

They both slammed into the unyielding ground hard, and Lucifer started to pin her, trapping both arms to her chest, but a sharp and unexpected pain erupted low between his legs, making him groan from between clenched teeth. It was just enough for Mew to get a little leeway and escape him.

However, she took the time to gather her wits instead of blindly attacking again, but Lucifer figured he had nothing to lose and went for broke. Throwing a small ball of aura energy to her, it exploded at the ground in front of her, covering her vision up with dust. Lucifer, however, knew exactly where she was and ran to the dust, intending on taking her down.

Lucifer gave a startled yell when Mew threw herself from the settling dust right at his lower legs, and he fell hard, the breath leaving him in a giant whoosh. He kicked out at her, but Mew bent herself away and leapt on top of him, raising a fist.

Lucifer didn't think twice, but let a blinding flash of his aura suddenly flare in her face. She cringed just a little before throwing the punch anyway, but it was enough that Lucifer was able to grab her breast and twist violently, making her cry out, before he finally was able to escape and throw her away to rethink his strategy.

They began to circle again. Mew wrinkled her nose, rubbing her sore chest. "That was low. Was it really necessary?"

Lucifer struggled not to roll his eyes. "Was this?" and he gestured to his tender area and then to his nose. "Is it broken?"

Mew pulled a sheepish face. "Yeah. Sorry."

He snorted. "You're not sorry."

"Well, if you put it that way—" She charged suddenly, making Lucifer fall back into the defensive. "Then no, I'm not, I want to win!"

Grabbing a fistful of her hair, Lucifer wrenched her back down to her knees, but before he could do anything more, she looked up at him with her wide blue eyes. The breath hitched in the back of Lucifer's throat.

His falter in his attacks was his undoing. Mew wrenched his arm back and down, forcing him to his knees before she threw her weight on his back. His jaw cracked against the ground, and he was sure he bit his tongue because he tasted the rusty and nasty blood in his mouth. Mew twisted both his hands painfully behind him, between his shoulder blades, as if trying to make each opposite elbow meet at the small of his back. Her knees pressed agonizingly into the backs of his knees.

Lucifer squirmed beneath her. "Give up, Dexter. The win is mine."

Lucifer scowled. He was NOT about to give up to her. Surely he could use his aura some way to free himself . . .

He growled shortly when she yanked harder, his shoulders screaming in protest. "Dexter," she cajoled playfully, causing the entranced crowd to break into laughter, "this is only going to get worse the more you wait. You can't get up."

Lucifer tried to buck her off of him, but it was no use. She stayed on as if glued. "I'll find a way yet," he grumbled, jerking only to wreak more punishment on his arms.

"I'm sorry, everyone, he's being stubborn today." More chuckles from the crowd alighted on Lucifer's ears, and he gritted his teeth in irritation. After struggling pointlessly more, he finally grunted and muttered, "Fine. I yield."

"Good!" Mew jumped up immediately, and Lucifer rolled his sore shoulders, nursing his bloodied nose. "Here, let me straighten that for you."

Lucifer jerked away when Mew reach for his broken nose, trying not to scowl too deep because it aggravated the wound. "Don't touch me."

Mew gave an impatient sigh, shaking her head. "Going back to this?" She sighed. "Look, just let me fix it at least, then you can go sulk and be mad at me all you want."

Lucifer clenched his jaw. She had hurt his pride by beating him in front of everyone. She knew it too, and that was why she was going to let him mope in his own self-pity. The thought that he would sulk like some little kid angered him, so Lucifer sucked it up and dropped his hands. Mew straightened the broken nose back into place, and despite the agony that raced over his face, Lucifer didn't make a sound. Instead, he just followed Mew's footsteps silently.

The day passed slowly because it was mostly spent with Queen Ilene and explaining all they did and why they did it as aura guardians. It also passed slowly because Lucifer got his tail handed to him more than once with the bouts Mew and he practiced with.

Though, Lucifer couldn't fault Mew—he was getting consecutively stronger at an alarming rate. Her training was rigorous, but effective.

Lucifer collapsed in the bed that night exhausted, body aching. He was going to pay for Mew's beatings today, but he had learned more today than in a while. Maybe it was because she brought him back to the basics when she explained things to Queen Ilene.

A smaller body jumped on the bed with him, rocking it. Mew put both hands on either side of him, nuzzling his neck. "Lucifer?" she crooned.

He gave a low groan. "Really, Mew? Not now."

"Oh?"

"I'm tired," he heaved, not lifting his head from the pillow.

She tickled his chin. "Is there . . . ANY way I can persuade you that you're not as tired as you think you are?" Mew kissed his jaw.

A faint stir started in his stomach. "Mew," he stated on a weary growl, "you've kicked my ass from here to the farthest of creation today. I need my rest."

"Hm . . ." Mew trailed her fingers up his arm. "Really?"

"Do you want me to wake up tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah."

"Then let me sleep."

She chuckled quietly before snuggling into his back, giving it up. They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Lucifer's tired eyes opened to the dark.

Her breathing had deepened considerably as she sunk closer to sleep, and Lucifer felt her chest press intimately into his with her steady breathing. Lucifer reached up a hand to cover hers over his chest, swallowing. Lying in the dark with her arms around him, it suddenly struck Lucifer at how CHERISHED he was. How much he loved her, and how much she loved him in return.

Heart sputtering emotionally in his chest, Lucifer twisted around and bundled her close to his chest. She tucked her legs up, curling in a ball into his heat.

"Mew?" he whispered quietly.

"Hm?" Her head lolled to the side some, the top of her head brushing beneath his chin. A perfect fit to the contours of his body.

"Have I told you I love you today?"

An adoring smile tugged Mew's lips apart. "I think so . . ." she said teasingly, "but you could always say it again."

Stroking his fingers across her jaw, he lifted her chin gently to press a tender kiss to her lush lips. "Mew," he whispered huskily. "I LOVE you. You do understand that?" Mew finally lifted her eyelids, exposing her blue eyes to him. "I love you more than anything this world could offer me, and I would do anything for you." Lucifer pressed his forehead against hers, his own electric blue eyes swallowing her sight. "Mew, I LOVE you. Never forget that."

She placed a benevolent kiss to his lips again, slow and sweet before saying, "Et tu, Brute," with a faint spark of mischief. "You've wound yourself around my heart, and I will never be able to forget you. Do you know why?" Mew nuzzled her nose tenderly to his before murmuring softly, "Because I LOVE you. With all my heart."

Lucifer took a trembling breath before cuddling her close again. Mew melted into his embrace, and Lucifer officially decided that he was the luckiest Lucario in the world as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>A rumble shook the building.<p>

Lucifer shot awake with Mew in the early morning, leaping to his feet. His body groaned in protest, and he scrubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Lucifer raced after a pink-headed Mew as she dressed them with a flash of psychic energy. His boots clunked against the floor, and he felt the constricting of jeans and the same black and red-checkered sweater. Mew was dressed similarly, only with her boots were tight-hugging jeans and an equally baggy orange woolen sweater.

Dashing down the hallway with her, Lucifer heard the sharp beating of helicopter propellers and the rumble of many engines.

"What's going on?" Lucifer shouted after Mew as she ran down the steps.

"I don't know exactly!" she shouted out, "but I think we might have been found out!"

Lucifer swallowed a curse and followed Mew to where she skidded to a halt in the throne room where a particularly pale Queen Ilene sat straight in her chair.

"Queen Ilene!" she intruded quickly with no thought of formalities. "What's going on?"

Oddly, the Queen responded promptly. "Team Rocket," she said surprisingly even. "They are demanding us to hand over Mew—as if we could! She is a free pokemon, we do not own her. Only if she wishes to show herself will she show herself."

"They're threatening the trainers outside," Princess Sable added quickly. "Mother won't let me go out and fight."

"And you won't," Mew said quickly, running a hand through her hair agitatedly. "This is my fault . . ."

Lucifer grabbed her arms, spinning her to himself. "Don't say that. You've done nothing wrong."

"But—"

Two Weavile burst into the room, and Mew and Lucifer reacted instantly.

The pokemon dashed forward with two Night Slashes at hand, and Mew took one and Lucifer the other. Mew threw up a ward of aura, managing to stop the first Weavile in its tracks before kicking it so hard it pitched to its knees and clenched its stomach. Then, she threw it back with a burst of her aura. It fled.

Lucifer, however, intercepted the Night Slash and wrenched the pokemon's arm back. Refraining forcibly from breaking its arm, Lucifer slammed it to the ground instead and punched it hard across the face with the strength equal to a Mega Punch. Then, he picked it up and slung it to the side with its friend, and both Weavile dashed from the room.

"They know we're here," Mew whispered, watching the two messenger pokemon flee. "Lucifer, we've got to go."

"Change me back," he barked at her, grabbing her arm before she could run off.

Her eyes flickered with doubt. "But—"

"I'm no use like this!" he growled. "I need my full capabilities to protect you."

"But—"

Lucifer yanked her close, noses touching. Fed up with all the secrets, knowing they were going to be found out anyway, he snarled, "Mew, change me back, NOW!"

Instantly he felt the human form fade away to his natural, pokemon form. Several gasps were heard, and Lucifer craned his head to look up on the pink-topped human before him. Her lips thinned.

"Let's go."

Lucifer dashed ahead of her, ignoring the queen's pleas of, "Wait!" and burst out the door to the trap beyond.

Lucifer halted, throwing up a ward of aura energy to protect himself from the sudden onslaught of pokemon attacks aimed directly towards him. With this moment of peering past the sparks of power his aura stopped, he saw the full intensity of the situation.

Choppers and ships filled the sky, but there was clearly one main mother ship as it was the biggest. The courtyard was filled and cut off from any way out. Multitudes of pokemon filled the grounds, mainly dark types over the bug or ghost type, and Lucifer felt his stomach lurch at the sight of them all—this had been planned. They weren't planning on letting them escape this time!

With Mew close behind (turned into a Pichu when he wasn't looking) Lucifer charged into battle. Throwing a barrage of Aura Spheres towards his foe, they each took the hit and flew back several feet to give him some breathing room. Then, all hell was unleashed.

Lucifer barely knew exactly what was happening. He was aware of Thunders that zapped so close to his body that it made his hair stand on end, was aware of the sheer electricity that crackled the air. He noticed that with his and Mew's defiance to Team Rocket it spurred other bold trainers to action to help save a pokemon they didn't even know, and it helped ease the sheer ferocity of the attack against them—but not by much.

Lucifer used his aura mercilessly to wound several pokemon out of condition to fight. Putting both his hands together toward the front, Lucifer let a spurt of aura shoot out and blast the Raticate closest to him away like a bug. In a way he had never done before, Lucifer utilized the aura in a new way, more closely linked to it than he had ever been in the past with the pressing situation.

He felt time slow. There was a split instant where he was sure he could almost FEEL the future, and then everything sped up quickly with an Extreme Speed. Dashing in and out of over five pokemon, Lucifer ripped them apart with his aura, hitting each and making each howl and fall back in pain. Flipping closer to Mew, he sent off a barrage of Aura Sphere's again that crippled the attacking force of Team Rocket before he flinched, a shadow passing overhead.

A Salamance! A Dragon Pulse shot from his palm without much thought, and it narrowly missed the target as the great beast came closer. Lucifer saw the strangely dressed woman riding it pointing a gadget at him, and before he could retaliate—for he was dodging a well-placed Dragon Claw—she shot.

The beam hit him squarely in his chest, and Lucifer felt his body harden. No—that was too weak—he stiffened, unable to move or bend, and he felt himself crash face-first into the ground, bested by the new technology.

"Well done, Hunter J."

* * *

><p>Mew shrieked when she saw Hunter J petrify Lucifer. The Lucario in question face-planted into the ground, still in his dodging and attacking position, body twisted to evade but hands aggressively up as if ready to shoot another aura-based move at her.<p>

Then, a bulletproof glass encased around Mew before she could blink.

Mew screamed in anger and fear, letting another powerful Thunder fly from her little Pichu body. Instead, she screamed in pain when it amplified tenfold against herself, shocking her body so much she collapsed and twitched on the inside of her cage.

The voice of Giovanni filled her ears, chilling her blood. "Well done, Hunter J. Take your prize and your paycheck will come shortly."

Mew felt another shocking electricity course through her veins, making her shriek as she was forced to let go of her transformed body into her natural, pink feline form. When the pain abated, Mew saw Hunter J land, ready to take Lucifer from her.

"No!" Using a deathly sharp Iron Tail to break the glass, Mew slammed her tail against the glass with every ounce of force she could muster. It didn't so much as scratch it. Instead, she felt another crippling jolt of electricity electrocute her from head to foot, making her scream again as it was too powerful for her body.

Every blue crystal of the Tree of Beginning glazed red.


	13. Chapter 13

Still, even though he was petrified, Lucifer was keenly aware of what he could smell and hear. A curiosity in itself, but one he didn't question.

A prickle of anger clawed up his neck. A PRIZE? He was no one's prize, much less this Hunter J's! Lucifer struggled futilely from inside his stone prison, unable to move, unable to blink, unable to even summon an attacking move. He was stuck solid, suffocating inside a skin of stone.

He heard Mew screaming his name, and it hurt so much he tried to tune her out. That is, until he heard what she was yelling out in a sheer panic.

"Lucifer, the aura! Use your aura! The aura, the aura, the aura!"

His aura? Yes, that was right! He heard her scream again, and blinding fury ripped across his senses—they were all going to pay for that!

Lucifer reached for his aura, to finally grasp it and utilize it well—but yet again, the core and most powerful part slipped from his grip. Mew would say that it sensed his agitation and that he needed to calm himself on the inside—but another pained shriek from Mew doused all calm from him, and Lucifer snarled inwardly, snatching harder. The slipping veil of aura evaded his grip again.

He smelled someone's boots near him. He could smell the particular odor of dragon scales, and he knew Hunter J was just above him with her pet Salamance. Spacing himself away from earthly things to focus his attention on getting his grip on his untouchable aura core, Lucifer bottled up every frustration he ever had again to try to find his aura. The silky curtain refused to allow him entry though, and Lucifer felt unspeakable fury claw at his throat. Out of all the bloody times for his aura to test his patience it was now—!

Mew's agonized scream filled the air, and Lucifer cursed his ill luck—to hell with it!

Driving against the slippery veil without much of any thought, Lucifer tore straight through it and collided headfirst with what he sought most—his aura.

It was like a cloud. It was like a mist that drifted from living creature to creature, set in motion by currents and eddies. It was the eye of the storm, the passions of all living things turned into energy, into a chorus. It was the rising swell at the end of life, the promises of new territories and new blood, the call of new mysteries in the dark.

And it was his. Right there in the palm of his hand.

Power welled inside of him. Enlightenment exploded through him so suddenly and intensely that he swore he could see stars—THIS was what it was supposed to feel like!

With a firm hand on his aura, Lucifer felt indomitable determination take over. He let his aura seep out, the most blindingly blue thing he had ever seen before in his life comparing only with Mew's aura, and it engulfed him like a fog. Those boots near his face took a step back.

"What's going on?" he heard Hunter J snap. "Someone explain to me what's happening! Giovanni, we've got a problem!"

His aura ate away at the confining stone, freeing him from his prison. Lucifer stood, eyes open though he still used his aura, and the resounding appearance was that of a possessed Lucario, eyes covered in a thick and startling azure that blazed bright.

Lucifer didn't think twice, but attacked Hunter J with a Bone Rush that broke several of her ribs. The Salamance roared, but before it could so much as attack with its measly Flamethrower, Lucifer had a Dragon Pulse crash into it with so much force that it shrieked in disdain and hit the ground on its own wing, breaking it.

Then, Lucifer saw what was happening.

A chill ran through his veins as he saw Mew suffering from inside her prison of glass. She was twitching inside, stifling all her screams as she endured the high voltage of electricity through her body, but that wasn't what scared Lucifer most.

Several ships were breaking from Team Rocket's massive group to speed towards the Tree of Beginning. Mew's tree, which Lucifer now knew shared a symbiotic relationship with her, was reacting to her pain. The crystals were blazing an unspeakable red everywhere, and even Mew's beautiful blue aura had streaks of crimson slitting through it like blood, speaking of her affliction.

The Tree of Beginning was reacting in kind to its sickness—it was creating the so called "white blood cells", and they began the clean up. Every human within range of the tormented crystals began to be swallowed up by the blobbing forms of antibodies.

Lucifer snarled, jumping up to where his damsel in distress writhed in pain and landed on the glass ball holding her prisoner. He drew out a Bone Rush and, with all his might, sent it crashing down on top of the glass ball.

Lucifer started when it made a dull and low ring against the glass and wrenched his arm back as the attack ricocheted back. He lost his balance a second because of the sheer strength of the recoil, but an Entei leapt up with a Fire Fang, clamping down on his shoulder.

Lucifer gave an agonized cry at the blinding pain at ripped apart his shoulder, falling as the great beast dragged him off. With the most powerful Close Combat he had ever used before, Lucifer sent the Entei flying back with a pitiful yip.

Aura under his complete control to manipulate, Lucifer sensed a grand multitude of things happening around him. From the screams of the humans as they tried to stop the conflagrating antibodies from overwhelming them; to the wounded tree; all the way to the malicious intent of the pokemon around—it nearly crippled his thoughts because he didn't know how to tune out what he didn't want to feel and focus only on what he needed to feel.

It was utter chaos.

Yet, in the chaos of the unintentionally attacking tree and Giovanni's assault and Hunter J fleeing, one thing remained—Mew. And she was suffering, and Lucifer would not tolerate it any longer, as long as he breathed life!

Aura energies pulsating from his hands, Lucifer lunged up to the ball again, and this time struck across the weaker pipe that conducted the electricity and held the ball to the ship. It splintered and broke with ease, and Mew fell free.

Lucifer left her inside the glass ball as she struggled to catch her breath, twitching and gasping for breath. She was safer in there than free yet.

Instead, Lucifer started to set a perimeter around her. His aura was coursing through his veins like fire, and he had so much power it almost pained him to keep it inside. As such, he fought against the pokemon around, crippling their fighting force. He broke bones, burned fur, and knocked them back like pinballs. Only mulish determination kept him going against the immeasurable number of pokemon against him.

He heard Mew's words echo through his mind.

Sheer numbers can overwhelm a person, no matter how strong they are.

Her prediction was true. Lucifer felt himself slowing, mind numbing—the sharp pain of a Super Fang woke him back up, but he knew there was a limit to his endurance. Using a Bone Rush that sent the Raticate flying back, he was lucky it collided with another pokemon. Lucifer felt his vision through the aura faltering, clouding back up—not yet! They weren't out of danger yet, he couldn't stop now!

"Lucifer!" The Lucario in question threw a Dark Pulse behind him to ward off the next pokemon as he spared a glance to the shaking Mew as she struggled back to her feet. "Let me out of this! I've got to help you!"

She was in no condition to battle, they both knew it, and Lucifer clenched his jaw tight as he fell into another fluent Infernape-like style of attacks with his aura. Moving closer, he didn't break stride as he swung his aura-pulsing fist against the glass, and it shattered magnificently.

An exploding Psychic cleared the way of all but the dark type pokemon, and Lucifer sent a barrage of Aura Spheres to force them all back farther. He couldn't give out now—not yet, not while he had a breath in his body—not while he had the aura!

Filled with exultation over the battle, Lucifer bellowed out, "The aura is with me!" With a vicious snarl, he leapt up high, feeling it stir deep within, and let the power unleash with a mighty cry.

"FEEL THE POWER OF THE AURA!"

The barbs beneath his skin amplified until he thought the imaginary spikes would pierce his skin, and placing both wrists together, Lucifer aimed at the mother ship.

The resounding blast of aura energy shot him all the way back to the ground so forcibly that he almost broke his legs when he hit the ground. His shoulders shook hard all the way down to his hands as a vehement beam of aura energy shot from his hands like a Hyperbeam, thick and throbbing quickly to the beat of his heart. The sheer power of his aura ripped straight through the hull of the ship, blasting through to the other side.

Then, the explosion of power was over, and Lucifer staggered, stunned at the sudden loss of energy. He felt lightheaded, but the aura still coursed through his veins like fire, urging him one even when he felt like collapsing.

His second wind. It was coming. He could sense it—Mew had mentioned this too. To be able to use your aura in an exhausted state could give you an extra boost—one he needed to stop the coming disaster as he saw an antibody come his way.

Lucifer flinched when it engulfed him from head to foot, and it was as if a gooey substance had suddenly hugged him like jello. Then, it slunk away quickly realizing he was a pokemon, and no harm could come to the pokemon.

Heart slamming hard in his chest and gasping in heavy breaths, Lucifer clutched even tighter to his aura, praying it wouldn't fail him now. Everyone was faltering in his or her attacks now with the Tree of Beginning attacking, and Giovanni's voiced boomed out.

"Mew is weak! The quicker you capture her the quicker we leave this hell!"

That was all the prompting the Rocket Grunts needed. They all turned on the two tired pokemon with bitter cries, desperate to fulfill their mission to save their own skins.

The antibodies pelted against the ships' hulls, but they couldn't get inside; so, Giovanni was safe.

Lucifer and Mew threw themselves back into battle, but Lucifer quickly saw that it was a losing battle. With the supremacy of his aura the only thing keeping him holding on, Lucifer shouted, "Mew!" he blocked a Fire Blast with a ward of aura and retaliated with an Aura Sphere, the attack amplified with his connection to his aura. "Teleport us away!"

"I can't!" she cried back, dodging an attack and picking him up with a Psychic. A vicious Earthquake ripped across the ground. "I can't leave with the Tree of Beginning in such a condition!"

"I'm telling you, teleport us away NOW!" Lucifer bellowed, uncaring of the rest of the humans' fates—Mew had to come out safe. That was the only way he could rest easy with himself.

After a few excruciatingly long seconds, Mew replied, "I can't! Lucifer, I can't! One of these pokemon hiding around has the ability Arena Trap!"

Lucifer cursed their luck, blasting another pokemon away with a spurt of aura energy to the front. They needed help, and there was no one to give it—!

A purple blur streaked across the battlefield, and a ripping explosion followed its path. The psychic powers sent the remaining humans screaming and the pokemon howling, and Lucifer saw a pokemon he would be grateful to the rest of his life.

Mewtwo's blazing blue eyes accentuated the power of his next Psychic that sent all the pokemon, humans, and antibodies alike whipping around in every direction, and his powerful Shadow Balls slammed into every remaining dark type surrounding Lucifer and Mew. Lucifer was once again impressed—to disperse of them all and clear a path so quickly and easily was a tribute to his power.

Those shockingly electric blue eyes pinned Lucifer and Mew to the ground. "Mew, control your tree!" he ordered in no uncertain terms. "Lucario, protect her, or I'll tear you limb from useless limb!"

Lucifer's teeth bared at the threatening challenge. However, he grabbed Mew and tucked her exhausted body close.

"Somebody, grab Mew before he gets away with her!" a frustrated Giovanni commanded at wits end. "The rest of you, bring me that experiment!"

Mewtwo's lips pulled back over his teeth in a vicious snarl, and he leapt on the nearest helicopter maliciously, slamming his three-fingered hand to its hull. A conflagrating psychic energy engulfed around it like a malevolent bubble, and a sharp explosion blasted from above before Mewtwo soared from the falling debris. The remains of the burning, broken ship fell in a shower of metal parts and cloudy smoke.

Lucifer saw nothing else though, and left Mewtwo to his destruction and distraction. Holding Mew tight, Lucifer dashed with an Extreme Speed towards the Tree of Beginning.

The time spent running to the tree taxed Lucifer's patience. His leg muscles burned and his lungs gasped for air, but he refused to stop. Mew was too exhausted and hurting to do anything more, and her tree was still running haywire. By the time Lucifer made it to the tree so far away, he could swear almost half an hour had passed—precious time on the battlefront for Mewtwo.

Lucifer dashed up the berserk Tree of Beginning, jaw clenched tight at the sheer effort he had to put in to keep moving. He vaulted over the broken bridge over the deep ravine—the very same he had fallen short of crossing—with an ease of an experienced soldier, landing lightly on the other side.

"Lucifer, stop."

He kept running, coming closer to the top—so close within reach—!

"Lucifer, I said STOP."

He had no choice in the matter, though, and Lucifer snarled when Mew stopped him mid-stride.

"This is far enough."

Something about her tone stopped him, and Lucifer stared with wide eyes. His heart tightened in dread. "Mew?"

She wriggled free of his arms, landing lightly on the ground. She wouldn't look at him. "Lucifer, I . . . My tree is taking innocent people away."

"Team Rocket is not innocent—"

"But the people inside the castle are!" she burst quickly, aquamarine eyes whipping up to look at him. Mew looked away again. "I'm . . . I won't let that happen. Once I reverse the cleaning process to save the humans—"

"I don't care about the bloody humans!" Lucifer shouted out, grabbing her quickly and jerking her right in front of his desperate eyes. "They can all go to hell, Mew, I love you, I can't lose you!"

Her shoulders shook, and Lucifer saw the tears bead in her eyes. "Lucifer, I—I can't refute my duty as the aura guardian. I have to save this tree and the people of this country. I WILL save the innocent." She twisted from his grasp again, and Lucifer fell on his knees.

"Mew, I'm begging you! Please!" Lucifer fell on his hands, trembling as the wretched tears fought their way to the surface. "Mew, you're all I have, please, don't do this—Mew, I NEED you!"

His impassioned pleas, stopped Mew short, and she suddenly came back close to his face.

"Lucifer," she whispered as steady as possible. "Please. Promise me two things."

Tears began to shake his shoulders violently. "Mew," he wept unabashedly, "please, please, don't do this—"

"I will!" she said, leaving no more room for argument. "But you have to promise me that you WILL NOT use your aura to save me."

Lucifer choked on his sobs, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Lucifer, promise me. PROMISE ME!"

He swallowed. "Mew . . . Mew, please, you can't make me do this . . ."

"Lucifer."

Trembling as the floodgates rose high again, Lucifer shook his head vigorously. His voice was raw with unashamed emotion as he whispered shakily, "I—I p-promise . . ."

Mew relaxed only a little. "And promise me this: Promise me, that when I'm gone, you will become the next aura guardian. Promise me you will protect my tree and all the pokemon living in it, and the people of this kingdom. Lucifer? Promise me."

He bit his lip so hard it bled. He kept his eyes away from her face. "I promise that . . ."

Mew let out a breath, nuzzling her nose to him. She licked his cheek tenderly, pressing into his heaving chest. "Thank you, Lucifer. I have loved you to the end of my days."

She flitted away, rising high to focus her powers. Lucifer looked through his film of tears, swallowing hard. Little lights twinkled across her body as she reversed the effects of the Tree of Beginning's antibodies. When she was finished, both she and the tree would start to die. She would save the tree, but not herself, by giving her aura to Lucifer.

Lucifer looked up at Mew, trembling as he whispered his unfinished oath. "I promise . . . that I cannot keep my promises."

Mew finished, and she panted a moment, little pink tongue lolling from her mouth a moment. Then, the life seemed to suck from her. She drew wan, and she floated to the ground, too weak to even keep herself aloft with a psychic.

Snapping into action before Mew could protest, Lucifer picked her up and ran her with an Extreme Speed to the center of the tree.

"Lucifer—what are you doing!"

Lucifer let her go as she wriggled out of his grasp. "I'm doing as I promised," he growled, taking the stance he had seen Sir Aaron and Lucario do before him. He could sense their lingering presences in the room, their crystallized bodies just feet away. "I WILL become the next aura guardian. And I will save the innocent—YOU."

"No!" Simultaneously, both he and Mew pushed their auras from themselves—Lucifer groaned low, gritting his teeth as he felt an excruciating pain rip from deep within. "Lucifer, you promised!"

"I promised that I cannot keep my promises!" he cried back. Pushing out and back at her own aura with all his might, Lucifer managed to push hers back into herself against her will. She was too weak to fight him now, and he let his bubble of aura engulf her. "And that is a promise I will keep!"

"Lucifer, no! Stop!"

Lucifer cried out, screaming out loud as the pain amplified to more than he could take. The equivalent pain of being cut open and ripping your own heart out assailed him without mercy, almost making him buck to his knees and take his own aura back—but this was for Mew. He would do anything for her, even if it meant killing himself.

"Lucifer, please!"

He looked up at her, letting his eyes warm with love at the sight of her. "Mew, don't grieve. You have taught me all you could." Squeezing his eyes shut as the peak of the pain hit hard, he exclaimed in exultation, "For the aura is WITH ME!"

Those blinding and flashing lights overcame them both and Lucifer felt a sudden emptiness rip across his senses. It was as if awakening to find himself blinded, or the warmth of his skin stripped away as if buried alive. It was like having the energy of youth, and then feeling the cloak of years fall on him and knowing he was fragile, weak, and easily discarded.

Lucifer shuddered hard as the aura stripped away from him. It was like knowing what he wanted to say and never finding the words; it was a chorus replaced with silence, or hearing teachings without meaning. It was like a beloved pupil to whom you have shared everything, sacrificed everything, and then having them turn from you . . . and forget all you were.

Then, it was over. Lucifer gasped, staggering a bit as he felt wan and weak without the sheer power of his aura. A crackling energy licked over his body, and he stared up at Mew. She positively glowed azure with the healing power of his aura inside of her. Her sorrowing blue eyes stared in hurt betrayal at him before she flitted up into the center crystal formation, and Lucifer shielded his eyes from the bright lights as she healed the tree and returned life back to normal

His racing heart was slowing now, relaxing. Lucifer watched in loving pride at Mew as she floated back down to him. Belatedly, as an after-thought, he wondered how much time he had before his body began to break down without an aura.

Her little lips trembled. Her voice was a mere, hoarse whisper. "How could you?"

Something close to a smirk touched his face. "Really, Mew? After all we've been through you ask me that? Of course I would do that."

"But—" She bit her lip. "I—You . . . Lucifer!"

She darted close to burrow into his chest, and Lucifer felt his eyelids hood with the amount of love that suddenly assailed his senses. "Is the tree safe?"

"Y-Yeah," she hiccupped softly, sniffling. "Team Rocket's gone. I think Mewtwo must have baited them away . . ."

Lucifer lifted her up, and she floated in front of his face when he nuzzled his nose sweetly to hers. "Mew, have I told you I love you today?"

Her look was pitiful as her bottom lip trembled. "No . . ." she said in a quavering voice.

Lucifer sent her the quirk of a smile. "Well, then. Mew, I—"

Blinding pain ripped across Lucifer's senses. Crying out sharply, Lucifer felt himself knocked off his feet as he was seized by the seizures of imminent death, hitting the ground on hands and knees.

"Lucifer!"

Mew hovered nearby, but the painful episode ended, leaving Lucifer gasping for breath and a little drool starting to inch out of his mouth. Wiping it away with a shaking hand, Lucifer caught the hysterical Mew close.

"Shh, calm down. Don't start acting silly on me now."

She hit him on the side of his head with her tail. "Silly? You think I'm silly for—for—you're—you're dying! You think I'm silly for freaking losing it when you're dying!"

Lucifer sighed and licked her cheek tenderly, kissing her head and wiping her tears away—only for them to be replaced with new ones. "Mew, I don't fault you for crying while I'm dying, but I do wish you would calm down some so I could enjoy your company."

Mew swallowed her cries, throat bobbing as she looked at him with tear filled eyes. "B-Better?"

He chuckled slightly. "Much." They stared at each other for a moment, causing Lucifer's eyes to soften more before another fit of seizures overcame him. Crying out, trying to keep the rest of the screams tucked deep inside, Lucifer gritted his teeth tight and his claws scrabbled at the floor.

Then, the next fit ended, and Lucifer trembled. They were only getting worse. The end was coming soon.

Lucifer scooted back to sit himself against the pillar Lucario and Sir Aaron leaned against, and Mew pressed herself against his chest again, curling around his spike.

"Please, please . . ." she pleaded weakly, desperation lacing her voice. "Lucifer, please, I can't lose you. I don't want—please, Lucifer, you can't die!"

His throat tightened. Lucifer pressed his face into her soft pink fur. "Mew, you've taught me everything you could. I—"

"No I didn't," she interrupted petulantly, sniffling. "I can teach you more."

Lucifer sighed, kissing the top of her head. "Then I'm afraid it will have to wait." Mew began to cry in earnest then, little sobs slipping from her throat. "Mew . . ." Lucifer shook his head. "I could FEEL my aura. You granted me the one wish I thought was beyond my reach. And—And now—" Lucifer gave a disbelieving laugh as he looked around the beautiful interior of the Tree of Beginning. "I've long since surpassed my dreams. I not only touched my aura, but I HELD it. I didn't just hold it, I USED it. And I didn't just use it—I saved the life of the one I love most." A sob caught in Mew's throat. Lucifer gave a quiet groan, nuzzling his nose into her fine fur. "Tell me, Mew: What more could I ask for?"

This time, the ending spasms gripped his body, and Lucifer cried out once more before holding them back with all his might. Mew suddenly lifted her face into sight.

"A longer life!" she cried back, tears speeding down her cheeks. "Lucifer, you deserve better! I don't understand—I—I can't—" Choking off again as she lost the words she wanted to say, her claws dug into his skin in her agitation.

Despite the agonies that raced throughout his body, Lucifer let his head loll back at the tiny pricks of pain from her nails. "Mew . . ." He moaned softly. "I love it when you scratch me . . ."

She just cried harder as the ending throes of death made his body twitch and spasm mightily. "But—Why is it like this? I—How come I get you for only so little? You might be dying happily, but I'm not! Lucifer, you're killing me! I have to keep living after this! How come I barely get to spend any time with you? How come I've just started to love you the best I can and you get taken away from me?"

Trying to lighten her spirits a little with a bit of her witty remarks as she usually retorted against him, Lucifer sent her a pained, if lopsided grin at her. "Why so selfish, Mew? Can't I die in peace?"

Her nails dug more into him, sending sparks of pleasure through him. "Aren't you being selfish?" she shot back, swallowing again and sniffling as tears gushed down her face. "You're sitting here dying as happy as can be and I'm the one suffering for it!"

Compassion overwhelmed Lucifer's senses. Gasping a gasp full of love, he brought her close. "Please, Mew, I didn't mean to make you angry, but please . . . My time is now, and I don't want to end on a fight."

Mew burst out sobbing again. "Lucifer, you can't go! You can't leave me!"

The convulsions were getting stronger now. Lucifer strove to push the pain away as long as possible to indulge in the last precious moments with Mew.

"Mew," he whispered rawly, teeth clenching tightly, "I love you—"

"I love you too."

A faint laugh shook him. "Mew, I love you with all my heart, soul, and aura. Don't forget—I'm living within you now. You'll never be alone. I'll always be with you." She nodded, shaking to keep the tears locked up tight inside. "Promise me this, Mew."

"Anything," she gasped out, tears streaking down her cheeks.

Lucifer's brilliant azure eyes softened again as he leaned back, holding an arm loosely around her, because he knew his bodily surface would harden with protruding edges when he turned into crystal. "Mew, just promise me . . . Promise me that, you'll love me when I'm gone . . ."

The pain was fading. Instead, Lucifer closed his eyes as he looked down on Mew. A streak of sadness pierced through him. Auraless. He couldn't see her beautiful aura again.

He was comforted only with the last words he heard.

"I promise."


	14. Chapter 14

He was glowing white with little blue sparks. She felt his warm, soft arm around her harden and turn cold, little edges poking into her. His blue, blue fur faded behind a wall of identical orange equivalent to the two next to him.

Lucifer had turned into crystal even as he held her close.

Sobs ripped from Mew violently as she pressed herself closer, uncaring of the points that barbed into her skin. She had lost him forever. And it was all Team Rocket's fault! They had attacked and had hurt her and the Tree of Beginning. If they hadn't have attacked the tree wouldn't have gotten sick, she wouldn't have had to save the stupid humans, and Lucifer wouldn't have had to give up his aura!

Mew stayed there weeping for him. The greatest sacrifice . . . and it was too much for her to handle. Mew trembled against Lucifer's crystallized body, a never-ending flow of tears spilling down her cheeks; the wet streaks slipped down a crystal formation to puddle on the floor below.

She stayed so long hunger pangs should have bothered her more than once, but her appetite was gone. She fell asleep once against Lucifer's crystal body before waking again and crying more. Finally, a voice cut through the air.

"Mew, leave him."

She ignored him.

The voice became firmer. "Mew, I said leave him. There's no use in weeping over the dead."

Furious at his apparent lack of compassion, Mew threw a crackling Shadow Ball at him in rare violence. Mewtwo's hand deflected it easily.

"What do you know!" Mew shrieked at her warped offspring. Breaths heaved from her body so hard and fast she was sure her ribs would crack. "I loved him! Mewtwo, I loved him! And you don't know anything about that! You're cruel, heartless!" The only response he made to her accusations was to flinch slightly, a cheek twitching, and his tail twitching. Angry he wasn't rising to her bait, Mew attacked him again only for him to deflect it. "You could never understand! Just—Just leave me alone!"

Surprisingly, he promptly Teleported away. Mew returned to her lover's side, crying over the deceased.

He didn't leave her alone for long. Just as soon as Mew thought she was finally getting a hold of herself, Mewtwo was back.

"Now will you listen?"

Mew hissed, hair prickling against Lucifer's crystallized form. "Get out of here," she hissed, hackles rising.

"No," he said easily, purple eyes calculating something. "You've got to realize he's dead and no amount of tears will change anything—"

"I know that, you despicable—experiment!"

She got the rise she wanted. Mewtwo's eyes flashed a deadly blue, but his words were not what she expected. "So easily you shun the one that is here to offer his help," he spat at her.

Mew flinched. After a moment though, dark ideas slashed through her countenance like black fire. Her jaw clamped as she fought back the dark desires, but . . . He was right. She WANTED this!

"Team Rocket did this to me," she whispered, trembling with a bloodlust she didn't know she had. Mewtwo's eyes slightly widened. "Team Rocket did those things to you . . ." Unable to contain it any longer, Mew jumped up to float in front of Mewtwo. "Take me with you!" she cried out, eyes blazing. "We'll—You want your revenge just as much as I do, and they'll never be able to stop us both!"

Mewtwo stared at her, but his expression was unreadable. Finally, he shook his head. "That is not what I meant," he stated, sending a dousing cold spill of shock over her. "Take it from one who has had experience—Revenge is not the way to go."

"And why not?" she exclaimed a bit too loudly, lust for retribution gone as quick as it had formed.

He set his jaw. "Does it look like it's done me any good?" He shook his head when her head dropped. "I've learned the hard way. Such base desire only leads to more suffering . . ."

"B-But—" Mew floated pitifully to the ground, turning her back to him. She felt her throat tighten and lips tremble as she looked back at Lucifer. Sacrificed everything . . . "What-what can I do?"

"For one, stop wallowing in your self-pity." When she flinched, curling into herself, she heard an impatient growl from behind her. "No, that's not what I meant. No, I mean that, I just—" Another growl punctuated his statement. "You have to . . . let him go. He was happy when he died, so leave here happy for him."

Mewtwo's words were clumsy, inadvertently harsh with their tender meaning. Mew swallowed, sniffling as she sat petulantly on the floor. She scoffed inwardly at Mewtwo . . . trying to comfort her about a pokemon he barely knew, and didn't even like . . .

She felt psychic energies behind her. "Mew, I'm just saying you've got to get up and keep moving on. There's too much in this life to learn to just throw it all away."

"I don't want to," she mumbled. "I . . . I danced with Lucifer. I . . . couldn't go back to that."

"Then learn something else!" Mewtwo snarled a bit sharply, impatient, before clamping his jaw down and tempering himself. "Learn another language. The humans have ample enough. Learn one of those . . . instruments. Or their "figures". There's plenty out there if you don't want to dance."

Tired of him trying to be optimistic when she wanted nothing more than to fade away, Mew turned around and snapped at him, "Would you just—! Just . . . Go . . . Away . . . ?"

Mew choked in the middle of her order, faltering to a halt. That psychic energy she had felt was Mewtwo—he was human.

She hadn't expected him to pick up the handsome transformation again, but there he was, long and straight silvery/purple hair cascading to his shoulders. He scowled when she stared, a hint of a blush touching his face.

"I just . . . If you want to go back out, you're not going without me. Somebody has to protect your tail."

A powerful emotion began to clog her throat. Flitting up to him, Mew cuddled close to his strong neck. A shiver ran through her, and she suddenly realized she had been cold from staying against the cold crystal for so long. The heat that emanated from him warmed her.

"Mewtwo . . . Thanks."

He stayed silent, not trusting himself to speak, and Mew suddenly understood.

Mewtwo was very callous, but it wasn't his fault. Speaking gently just wasn't his cup of tea, and that he was even offering what he was surprised her. Mew wrapped her tail around his neck, pressing her nose against the pulse in his neck. She felt it thump against her nose.

Yes, Mewtwo did have a heart. Even if was buried under mounds of heartache and scars of the past, it was there . . . He was always right there next to her when she needed him most. He sacrificed what was best for himself that day. Team Rocket remembered his existence now, and they would no doubt hunt him . . . but he had discarded all of that just to save her and Lucifer.

He always turned up when she needed him the most. He was always a constant. His pulse beat against her nose.

A constant . . . just like a heartbeat.

Mew licked his neck tenderly, finally saying with a slight laugh, "I guess you'll get to be my little brother."

Mewtwo snorted. "Oh, please . . ."

She smiled shyly into his neck. "Well, I don't really see you as my son . . ."

"And I don't see you as my mom," he replied promptly, "but certainly not like a little brother. You're clearly the adolescent here with your personality."

She flicked him gently with her tail. "I'm older. You're my little brother."

"Mew . . ." he growled, but did nothing more.

She transformed into her human form. Hugging him tight, it was a moment before he rested his hands gently around her. Then, she swayed.

"Mew . . . what are you doing?"

"It's called a slow dance," Mew said quietly. "People do it with people they care about."

Mewtwo gave a vague grunt.

Mew lifted her head, looking him in the eyes as she touched her nose to his. "Mewtwo . . . Why?"

His purple eyes looked away, but she could still see them. "It's just . . . family sticks together."

Mew bit her lip and smiled. She hugged him tighter.

"Mewtwo, thanks."

He just grunted as nonchalantly as he could. "Right . . ."

Mew began to hum a love song, she thought it was Alicia Keys, but she heard another annoyed growl in her ear. "Mew, stop that."

She kept humming.

"Mew," Mewtwo said as blatant as can be, "stop humming. You sound like a dying Murkrow."

Mew pursed her lips playfully. "Really?"

"It's the most cacophonous thing I've ever heard."

"Well you don't have to be so blunt about it."

"Then don't hum. Take some voice lessons."

His forthright manner made the quirk of a smile touch her lips. Swaying in an awkward slow dance with him, Mew cast a glance over her shoulder at the Lucario that had captured her heart.

Sacrificed everything to the very end . . . Mew felt her aura, and her throat bobbed. It was as if she could feel his presence linger inside of her, curled around her very being. True, he was in her heart, but it still cut her apart to know he was gone.

I'll always be with you.

Mew felt the little tears come back. "Mewtwo?"

He hadn't meant his first words cruelly. He was merely stating a fact. And while she would mourn Lucifer to the end of her days, Mewtwo was right—she had to keep living on.

"What?"

They should take a speaking class. Mewtwo had such a somber, yet regal and suave air about him she was sure he could make an excellent speaker.

"Can you promise me something?"

He hesitated. "I will try everything in my power to fulfill it," he finally said.

Mew rested her cheek against his shoulder, wrapping her arms tighter around him. "Don't let go . . ."

"Never."


End file.
